Chief Kepuha

Statue of Chief Kepuha in the Guam Cultural Center, located in Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Tamuning, Guam. Kepuha (died 1669), also spelled Kipuhá or Quipuha, was the island of Guam's first Catholic chief. He granted land in the village of Hagåtña to Spanish missionaries, upon which was built the first Catholic church in the Mariana Islands.

Biography Kepuha was a member of the Chamorro, the ruling caste of Chamorro society. As the elder maga'låhi, or high-ranking male, he could make important decisions with the consent of his clan’s, maga'håga, or highest-ranking females. His name translates in the Chamorro language as "try to turn over" or "to attempt to capsize.

The Spanish mission led by Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores arrived near Hagåtña on June 16, 1668, where about 200 Chamorro warriors gathered. San Vitores sent Father Luis de Medina and another priest to greet the Chamorros, who brought them to Kepuha's house, which was decorated with palm fronds. The priests gifted Kepuha, who they described as tall and robust, a velvet hat and iron hoops and nails and told the chief that they intended to teach the Chamorros "he law of God and the way to heaven".