Overview
Celebrated Chamorro cultural practitioner James Cruz Bamba learned to weave his first basket at the age of 15 when his uncle Pedro (maternal grandmother's brother) taught him to make the quagua, a traditional two rim basket and the queha or coconut leaf hand fan. He then sought instruction from his auntie Wäwe' (Rosario, his father's oldest sister) and learned several traditional items that were made by elders in his family while they were growing up. These items included the che'op (long carry basket), higai (thatch), äla (egg laying basket), and katupat (rice pouch). James' interest to know more about the art of weaving never ceased and he continued to practice after enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1999. He would later return to Guam and learn from many others, including knowledgeable weavers from Palau, Chuuk and other Micronesian islands.
Although James began weaving with coconut leaves, his recent work is primarily of äkgak, or the Marianas variety of pandanus. He has mentored many young weavers and currently has five apprentices who study with him on a regular basis, collecting and processing materials and creating traditional and contemporary woven items. James also volunteers as an instructor of weaving at Sägan Kotturan Chamoru - Chamoru Cultural Center, which is located at Ipao Point. He is currently assisting with the 2016 Festival of Pacific Arts as the chair for weaving in the Traditional Arts Committee.
Additionally, he volunteers at public and private schools, conducting numerous demonstrations and presentations that celebrate and document this critical art form. James is also teaching Introduction to Chamorro Weaving, the first special studies course of its kind at the University of Guam.
James is known to be an extremely committed and industrious practitioner, with a passion and purpose to promote, preserve, and carry forward a practice that remains to be one of the most vibrant and visible traditional art forms of the Chamorro people and the larger Pacific. It is his mission to honor the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the indigenous peoples of the Marianas, and the perseverance of these skills.
Monaeka Flores (2016)