Ripped from their homeland nearly a century ago, sacred CHamoru Latte Stones and other treasures are finally coming home. 

In Honolulu, Guam's Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio stood alongside cultural leaders to witness history in motion, the beginning of a long-awaited return, and a powerful step toward reclaiming identity and righting a century-old wrong.

“We are very excited to be here today to commemorate and celebrate this ethical return of not just the latte, but the over 10,000 artifacts associated with the  hornbostel collection,” said Melvin Won Pat-Borja, Director of the Department of CHamoru Affairs.

Pat-Borja offered remarks during Saturday's ceremony on the gallery lawns of the bishop museum near the latte in Honolulu, Hawaii.  

The ceremony initiates a phased return of more than 10,000 pieces from the museum’s collection to the mariana islands. 

This landmark decision comes after three years of collaboration with government officials, and colleagues at peer institutions in Guåhan and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and is among the largest known ethical returns to ever occur.

Three sets of sacred CHamoru latte stones stood beneath the Hawaiian sun, a powerful reminder of a painful history, and the resilience of a people who never stopped fighting for their return. 

“We begin the process to return the more than 10,000 Chamorro cultural artifacts - Chamorro and Carolinian artifacts as I just discovered yesterday back to Guahan and all of the Mariana Islands. This is a result of a long term partnership with the Dept. of Chamorro Affairs on Guam and the Bishop Museum to right the wrongful removal of the artifacts,” said Tenorio. 

The Latte Stones are part of the Hornbostel collection, thousands of artifacts removed from Guam and the CNMI in the early 1900s, shipped to Hawai‘i, and stored in museum collections for generations. 

For decades, CHamorus have called for their return, voices that date back to the 1930s, finally answered through years of negotiation, collaboration, and determination.

“Todays ceremony is not just simply to start the process of return, but to start the process of maturation of artifacts to the rightful homelands of chamorro and carolinian indigenous communities. Rematriation as opposed to repatriation, is focused on restoring the relationship between an indigenous people and the culture and land of their ancestors,” said Tenorio. 

As the Bishop Museum and the Government of Guam forge a long-term partnership, the return of the latte stones marks only the beginning, paving the way for more artifacts to come home, and for future generations to stand in the presence of their history.

For the CHamoru people, this is more than a victory, it is proof that the past can be reclaimed, and that the ties to their homeland are unbreakable.

The latte stones are expected to arrive in the Marianas soon, marking the first wave of the Hornbostel collection’s return.