National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lumuna Shell Trumpet

Madrid, Carlos

A National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Lumuna Shell Trumpet. Narrative Description Summary Paragraph: "The only unbroken Shell Trumpet ever found was discovered in 2011 and is currently housed in the Guam Museum, Department of Chamorro Affairs. This unique shell trumpet measures 30.4 cm long and weighs 575.5 grams. With the exception of a missing portion in the apex this trumpet shell, I Kilo', retains its historic integrity evidenced by its association with Guam's prehistoric and historic period. It is in excellent condition, in spite of the fact that it seemingly rested in the open group for an undetermined amount of time. Shell trumpets were made once the mollusk was removed and the empty shell was thoroughly dry. A hole was carved in the narrower part of the shell, close to its center. Blowing in it circulated the air inside, producing a deep, horn-like sound." Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph: "The Lumuna Trumpet Shell is significant under Criterion A since it possess 'integrity of association with the traditional cultural practice of shell trumpet use'; and also under Criterion C, because it embodies a distinctive characteristics of a type and period in Guam history. The uniqueness and significance of the Lumuna Trumpet Shell lies in the fact that is the most complete of its kind, the only known sample to have survived in almost perfect condition the passage of time. Archaeological findings have shown that trumpet shells were in use as early as the 800AD, during the early Latte Period of the Prehistory of the Mariana Islands. Trumpet shells were used for 'inter-village communication', but mainly for sounding for war and peace, or as expression of grief during a burial. Further historic references and oral testimonies in Guam refer to its continuous use up to the mid-1940s. Former resident of the Apra area, Mrs. Antonia Castro, nee Degracia, stated that in the immediate years before WWII, I Kilo' was usually blown to call for the prayer at the Santa Cruze del Atantano. References of its use for the last years of the 1930s is found in the Merizo Village Journal of Jesus C. Barcinas, cited by anthropologist Laura Thompson, 'when the conch shell was blown and the church bell was rung due to a fire on a hill' that was heading towards the village. In the first decades of the 19th century, French explorer Freycinet recorded its existence in Guam in the time of his visit in March 1819. The navigators of the Spanish galleon San Jeronimo, in 1567, recorded seeing Chamorro people on board of outrigger canoes, and 'blowing in a sea shell like a horn', as they surrounded their vessel. The Kulo' connects the cultural of the Mariana Islands not only within its own regional context, but across different historic times. It is one of the items that most clearly epitomize the continuity of the Chamorro people as legitimate inheritors of the ancient and traditional customs of Guam and the Mariana Islands." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Guam Historic Preservation Office, Bureau of Parks and Recreation, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior.

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lumuna Shell Trumpet

Collections