Episode 3: A New Old Way of Life (A Trongkon Lemmai Adaptation)


A New Old Way of Life: A Trongkon Lemmai Adaptation written by Robin Berl and directed by Jayna Shoda Meyer explores how the breadfruit tree was created. Featuring voice acting by Ed Suarez (Tailagua), Lauren Rivera (Queguma), Michelle Blas (Taisamay), Shell Elijah (Manongsong), Steph Balagot (Timatanga, Villager), Ursula Herrera (Fatangis, Villager), J Hafa Adai (Villager), Chloe Ayangco (Villager, Voiceover), and Sophiae Igmen (Gardener).


Content Warnings: Pregnancy, References to sickness and abortion


For more on the story of the Trongkon Lemmai, check out this post.

A Note from the Author

Robin Berl

Maybe this story is nothing like the one you know of trongkon lemmai. Maybe it will remind you of something you’ve forgotten, maybe it will inspire you to something new.

This is a story of the past. This is a story of the future. Just like each of us. Just like trongkon lemmai. CHamoru people are not seeds scattered to the wind, but roots all connected--connected to our past, our future, and to each other. Each person, linking many. One story linking many.

This story dreams a world where everyone’s needs are met and there is enough. It is a world that may only ever exist in story. To readers of this note, to the podcast listeners, to storytellers of the past and future, may the stories we tell ourselves and each other also include this: It is okay if all you did today was survive.


Thank You to Our Supporters and Sponsors


This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, Government of Guam, and the Office of the Governor. Special thanks to our sponsors - AltrxEgo Entertainment, Bank of Guam, T-Factory, Coast 360, Future Smiles Orthodontics, and the University of Guam College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.