The Marianas is mourning the passing of Cinta Matagolai Kaipat, a Refaluwasch-Chamorro advocate from the Northern Islands. Kaipat, an artist, served as a former House lawmaker and Assistant Attorney General. She was 62 years old. 


Tributes have been pouring in on social media from family and friends remembering her impact on their lives and on the Indigenous communities across the Pacific.


"Her commitment to the people of the CNMI...will never be forgotten," CNMI Governor Arnold Palacios said in a statement. "Her steadfast advocacy for the preservation of cultural practices and beliefs, together with her unwavering commitment to the protection of the CNMI’s precious natural resources, will leave a lasting legacy for the ages."


He added, "We express our deepest condolences to the friends and family of former Representative Kaipat, and ask all of our community to offer their prayers and thoughts to all those she has impacted and inspired with her generosity, activism, and friendship."