The belembaotuyan was a regular sound heard at the gatherings of CHamorus for centuries. The instrument originated in Africa, and variations of it can be found around the world. But no one is exactly certain how it ended up on Guam during the Spanish period.

The single-stringed instrument was played frequently on island until World War II when the rise of media such as radio, vinyl records and other modern forms of music began to marginalize more traditional CHamoru musical stylings. There were many musicians who were well known for playing the belembaotuyan and being masters of producing its soulful sounds in the 20th century, the last of which was Tun Jesus Meno Crisostomo from the village of Inalåhan.

Making and playing the belembaotuyan was something that had been handed down in Tun Sus’s family for generations. He first played the instrument at the age of 7, when his father made one for him. A year later he made a belembaotuyan himself and would be seen and heard with it regularly. While guarding his family’s cornfields from wild pigs and birds, he would play and practice for hours. He later became good enough that he was invited to play for social events before World War II.

Tun Sus stopped playing for many years after marrying his wife Dolores, to focus on raising a family. But the love and passion for this part of CHamoru culture never left him.

In the 1970s, one of his daughter-in-laws was coordinating Chamorro Week festivities at her school and asked Tun Sus if he was familiar with the belembaotuyan. He said of course, and offered to make a new one and play it. From then on, the sound of Tun Sus’s belembaotuyan could be heard regularly at events promoting CHamoru culture, whether they be at schools, fairs, community centers and even malls. His music and art was featured in several documentaries, from both the US and Japan.

For his role in perpetuating the knowledge and practice of the traditions of the CHamoru people, the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency recognized Tun Sus as a Master of CHamoru Culture for the playing and making of the belembaotuyan. He passed away in 1996 at the age of 81, but not before teaching several apprentices who have continued to keep alive the sounds of the belembaotuyan for future generations.