Recognizing Frank Rabon

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOYLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a son of Guam whose life's work has helped preserve, strengthen, and carry forward the cultural identity of the CHamoru people--Master of CHamoru Dance Frank Rabon.

Recently, Frank Rabon was named a 2026 National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. This recognition is not only well deserved--it is deeply meaningful for Guam's people.

For more than four decades, Saina Frank Rabon has dedicated his life to preserving and revitalizing Bailan CHamoru, the traditional dance, chant, and storytelling practices of the CHamoru people. Through his work as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and cultural leader, he has helped ensure that future generations remain connected to their language, heritage, and ancestral identity. Culture survives because people choose to carry it forward. And few have carried the responsibility of cultural preservation with the same dedication, humility, and impact as Frank Rabon.

His work has touched countless lives across Guam and throughout the CHamoru diaspora. Generations of dancers, educators, and cultural practitioners have learned from his teachings and continue to share that knowledge with pride in communities across the Mariana Islands, the continental United States, and beyond.

As founder of Guma Taotao Tano', Frank Rabon helped create a space where culture could be lived, practiced, and passed on--not as history confined to books, but as a living expression of who we are as a people.

His choreography and cultural leadership have represented Guam on international stages for decades, including the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, where he helped showcase the strength and beauty of CHamoru traditions to the world.

What makes this honor especially powerful is that it recognizes something the people of Guam have long known: Preserving culture is essential work. It is the work of protecting our identity. It is the work of protecting language, stories, values, and traditions that connect generations together.

At a time when many Indigenous traditions around the world face the risk of being forgotten, leaders like Frank Rabon remind us that culture remains strongest when it is taught, shared, and lived openly within the community.

This recognition by the National Endowment for the Arts places Guam and the CHamoru people on a national stage and highlights the richness of our island's cultural heritage. Frank Rabon becomes only the second artist from Guam to receive this prestigious fellowship.

For the people of Guam, this moment is a source of tremendous pride. We are proud of the legacy he has built. We are proud of the generations he has inspired. And we are proud that the traditions of the CHamoru people continue to be carried forward with dignity and excellence.

I thank Master Frank Rabon for his lifelong dedication to our culture, our people, and our island. I congratulate him on this historic and well-deserved recognition.

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