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Joaquin Lujan

March 20, 1920 - March 20, 2015

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Blacksmith Joaquin 'Jack' Lujan displays a machete forged in March 1941 by his father, Mariano, from whom he learned. Lujan’s craftsmanship preserved important elements of Guam's Chamorro culture, combining Spanish colonial and local influences. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin 'Jack' Lujan, 1996 National Heritage Fellowship Ceremonies, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Apprentice Dan Robertson shows an unfinished hand-made traditional machete, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan displaying tools used in his Chamorro village shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan at work in his shop on Guam, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan forged and finished this spearhead so it could be attached to a wooden shaft to create a *fisga*, a traditional Guamanian fishing spear. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Chamorro traditional *fosino* (hoe) head forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan. Any length handle could be attached to the steel head. In pre-Spanish times, Chamorro women used wooden *fosinos*. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Chamorro traditional machete forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan. The machete is the most important cutting tool in the Chamorro culture. It is used at home, in the garden, on the farm, for hunting, harvesting and slaughtering livestock. The machete is considered a status symbol for many Chamorro men. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
*Soh'soh* forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan. It is a gouging instrument used to pry coconut meat from the shell to make livestock feed. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Adze blade forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan. It is attached to a handle and used for carving out canoes. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
In the Mangilao, Guam, shop of Joaquin Lujan, apprentice Ricardo Sablan makes copper rivets to be used in mounting forged traditional machete handles. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan with a display of canoe adze blades and finished adzes. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Apprentice Ernie Candoleta in Joaquin Lujan's Mangilao shop. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan with a banner in front of his shop. Courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan poster, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin 'Jack' Lujan, 1996 National Heritage Fellowship Ceremonies, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Joaquin Lujan in his Guam shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan in his Guam shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan hammering a machete blade in his shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan hammering a machete blade in his shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan in his shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Joaquin Lujan in his shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan
Machetes forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Machete forged and finished by Joaquin Lujan, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Joaquin Lujan in his shop, courtesy Joaquin Lujan

Guamanian Joaquin Flores Lujan learned his forging techniques from his father, who in turn had learned them from an uncle. None of Lujan's brothers acquired these skills. Lujan, known as Jack, Tun Jack and Kin Bitud, mastered the graceful lines and fine finishes of the short Guamanian machete with inlaid buffalo horn or imported Philippine hardwood handles; the preferred angle and bevel of the fosino (hoe); and the practical applications of the other tools.

"We were basically a farming community, and the people need tools to aid them during work," Lujan said. "There was always a great demand for basic tools such as machetes, fosinos, and kamyos (coconut graters), and we also made metal rims for carts, knives and betelnut cutters, as well as other essential and decorative items." As late as the World War II era, blacksmithing played an essential role. But Lujan became the sole surviving link to Guam's blacksmithing past, an aspect of the island's Chamorro culture that combines Spanish colonial and local influences. The time-consuming work of learning the craft and the diminishing economic incentive to produce hand-forged tools discouraged others from taking it up as a profession.

Lujan himself took up work as a welder before World War II and as a U.S. immigration officer after the war. When he retired, he again took up blacksmithing and set out to let others know of the beauty he found in this aspect of Guam's heritage. He demonstrated in schools and at festivals and other public events. He was driven by excellence in craftsmanship and the future of his tradition. "If I make something, it's for life," he said. "Nobody can beat the quality of my handiwork. It's first-class."

In 1985, Lujan took on three apprentices, all members of the Guam Fire Department who were used to heat and hard work and who had developed a passion for Lujan's art after seeing him at a demonstration. Others came to him to hone their skills. Television programs, newspapers and magazines featured his work, and he was invited to exhibit and demonstrate in Australia, Taiwan and the mainland United States. He received the annual Governor's Art Award on numerous occasions and the Governor's Lifetime Cultural Achievement Award in 1996. The Consortium of Pacific Arts and Cultures honored him by including his work in the American-Pacific crafts exhibit "Living Traditions."

In the words of Lujan's apprentice Frank Lizama, "Without Jack here guiding us, this art would have died. Hopefully, we'll continue to move on. The more we make, the more we want to do."

Bibliography
"Bibi Guam Quincentennial Celebration." Kantan Kottura (February 1992): 8.
"Guam Blacksmith Named National Heritage Fellow." Pacific Magazine (September/October 1996).
Pabalinas, Ed. "Chamorro Smithy Wants to Pass on Skills." Guam Tribune (September 13, 1985).
"Public Market." Kantan Kottura (January 1992): 4.
"6th Annual Guam/Micronesia Island Fair." Kantan Kottura (summer 1993): 8.
Stole, Jasmine. "Master blacksmith Joaquin Flores Lujan, 94." Marianas Variety, March 21, 2015. http://www.mvariety.com /cnmi/cnmi-news/local/75072-master-blacksmith-joaquin-flores-lujan-94

Watch

Joaquin Lujan interviewed by Alex Chadwick, 1996 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts