[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2088-E2089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE SERVICE OF MRS. JOSEFA CRUZ CERTEZA TO THE GUAM COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Josefa Cruz 
Certeza, known affectionately to her family and friends as Tan Pai, on 
the occasion of her 90th birthday, which she celebrates today, Monday, 
November 27, 2006.
  Tan Pai was born and raised in the village of Piti, Guam, and 
currently resides in the village of Agat. Her parents are Enrique 
Santos and Josefa Perez Cruz. She was married to the late Delfin Quenga 
Certeza and has six children, 21 grandchildren and 40 great 
grandchildren.
  On this special occasion we recognize Tan Pai's many contributions 
and her selfless service to our community over the past 60 years. Tan 
Pai is a strong Chamorro woman, and she is respected by our community 
as one of the eldest and few surviving Suruhanas (Traditional Healer) 
on our island today.
  Tan Pai's life and vocation as a Suruhana began when her youngest son 
fell ill, and when she went to seek help for him from a Suruhana in a 
nearby village. That Suruhana was too busy and told Tan Pai to come 
back

[[Page E2089]]

the next day. Tan Pai felt that it would be too late for her son to 
wait, so she decided to find a cure herself.
  Tan Pai learned the techniques of massage and herbal (the Chamorro) 
medicine from her mother, Josefa Perez Cruz, and from her husband's 
grandmother, Vicenta Quidachay Quenga.
  Mrs. Vicenta Quidachay Quenga had learned the practices of a Suruhana 
herself firsthand from her mother. Mrs. Quenga was a gifted teacher who 
divulged the recipes to Tan Pai. There were many known Suruhanas at 
that time of Tan Pai's youth, but Tan Pai did not pay close attention 
to their practices and gifts until the incident befell her son and her 
strong interest in the tradition took root.
  Raised in the Chamorro and Catholic traditions, Tan Pai is strong in 
her faith and believes that God has granted her a special gift, the 
power to cure, and that she should use this gift to help others in 
need. Since the age of 30, Tan Pai's specialty as Suruhana was in 
treatment of those illnesses which were considered ailments of children 
(chetnot famagu'on) and she has cured (Guiya uma amte) children of many 
illnesses which were traditionally treated by a Suruhana, and those of 
which modern medicine has no remedy. She uses massage, making medicines 
(using ``lommock''), massage with applications of medicine, and massage 
with consumption of medicine.
  Tan Pai was one of the Suruhanas mentioned in a manuscript, entitled, 
``I CheE'Cho Suruhana Yan Suruhanu (The Use of Traditional Medicine and 
Healers on Guam).'' It was written, for review only, by three students 
working on a documentary at the University of Guam. The manuscript 
represents work over 10 years of research which began in 1981 as a 
student project. This project has evolved to include indigenous 
participation in cultural preservation and education, and has become a 
scholarly and scientific endeavor for the benefit of our island 
community.
  Tan Pai has been featured as one of ``The Last of the Suruhanas'' in 
the Guahan Magazine and has received, on various occasions, local 
exposure from KUAM news and Guam Cable Television for her traditional 
Suruhana methods.
  On behalf of a grateful island community, I join her children, 
Abeline, Bertha, Adelbert, Galo, Joseph, and Franklin, her family and 
friends, and all of the people of Guam, in extending a heartfelt 
``Dangkulo na Si Yu'os Ma'ase'' to Mrs. Josefa Cruz Certeza for all of 
the good work she has done for our people, and for her continued 
selfless service to our community.

                          ____________________