I had no idea there was more than one latte stone site at Obyan Beach. It is right next to the small path that divers use to get to the entry point on the East part of the beach. I must have walked by it a hundred times.A group of Northern Marianas College students taking a Northern Marianas History class came up with the idea to restore the East Obyan Latte Site. They coordinated with Beautify CNMI and the Historic Preservation Office (HPO) to make it happen. HPO got the proper permits from the Division of Fish & Wildlife and led the restoration.
The students filmed the day's activities and are planning to put together a small documentary of the site and the restoration. They asked all of us a few questions. We were all asked, "what are latte stones, how were they used, and why is it important to protect them?"
Some of the others gave much more thoughtful answers than I. Marites said that they are a symbol of the people of the CNMI and John talked about how they are one of the few physical links the Chamorro people have to their past.
I really enjoyed doing this restoration. Our weekly beach and road cleanups are important (but would be unnecessary if people would stop littering or if the government started enforcing our litter laws), but it is much more satisfying to plant a tree or to improve on a long forgotten tourist or historical site.
Plus, swinging a machete is always fun.
I told the HPO people that we would love to help them with more projects like this. I hope they take us up on our offer.