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Panama´s ethnic variety (7)
Panama is a rich country of great ethnic variety, a land of a singular combination of people and cultures, including seven courageous ethnical groups which survived the Conquest. In terms of difference of language, the ethnic group include the Bri-Bri, Teribes or Nazos, Ngabes, Bugles-Bolotas, Juna, Embera and Wounaan. The majorit of these Indian Panamanian people inhabit reserved territories, located throughout the country, wherein they exercise their ancient types of government and keep their traditions alive. Their natural, varied and attractive habitats, are realms where mother nature reigns.
The small world of the Bri-Bri
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The reduced Bri-Bri group inhabits isolated communities away of the country’s northeastern region, over the Caribbean slope. They live in family clans determined by matriarchal lineage, and feed themselves from fishing, hunting and farming activities. Their way of living and entourage has kept them isolated from civilization, therefore, they preserve intact their culture and vision of the cosmos. They speak their particular language as well as their spiritual beliefs, based upon their god, Sibu, and offer him rites accompanied by a beverage extracted from cacao, its main cultivation. Their population barely surpasses 2,500 persons.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
Tuesday, 04 January 2011 15:21
The Naso population consists of some 3,500 people, living in communities isolated from western mountain jungle of Bocas del Toro. There, profoundly identified by the river they name “mother nature water” (Teribe, in their own language), have battled to survive as an autonomous unit grouped in family clans governed by their own king or monarch. The botanicals medicine practice and live thanks to their farming activities and domestic animals raising, as well as they sell their handicrafts, they carry down the river, using as transportation method canoes built by themselves with the wood they obtain from a special tree.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
The group inhabiting the land of Volcán
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The Ngabe group, previously named Guaymí, inhabits the remote regions of the central mountain range, in lands surrounding Volcán Barú. Their dominions have territories in three provinces. Almost nomad, the vast population of some 170 people live in small communities formed mainly by family clans. They are legendary warriors of great ferocity and still show courage when they engage in friendly combats and the game known as “balsería”. Farmers, hunters and fishermen, their women carry colourfull and wide dress – nagua – beautifully decorated, which they combine with woven vegetal fiber purses with geometrical designs, known as “chácaras”. On special occasions, men wear necklaces made with small units named “chaquira”.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
The mysterious Buglé
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The Indian Bugle group, is also related to the group Bokotá, with whom they share the buglere language, inhabits the same territory corresponding to the Ngabe ethnic group, therefore they are usually referred to as “the Ngabe-Buglé.” However culturally there are two different groups, who speak different language. Less numerous than their neighbors, their small villages have difficult access and the majority thereof is located in the territories south from the villages, which, according to the bugle legend, their ancestors arrived when they still had wings to fly. Although their language allegedly originates in the pre Colombian group Bogotá or Bokotá, their historic origin remains a mystery.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
Kuna live in Paradise
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The northeastern extreme of the isthmus of Panama there exists a tribe territory consisting of a long and narrow strip of land, and face to the ocean there are 365 paradise islands of extreme beauty, washed by the crystalline waters of the Caribbean. This is Kuna Yala, the land of the Dule or Kuna. Is the original group and best politically organized and the most known outside Panama, because of its famous molas, textile colorful handcraft of beautiful designs. The town is also known for Gunas “children of the Moon”, albino persons considered by their tribe as coming from a special race, born to defend the moon. The Kuna political organization is presided by the Council of Sáhilas, wise old and worshiped who know the history of his people.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
The Emberá and the untamed jungle of Darién
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The largest province of the country is covered by a dense tropical jungle which constitutes the ecological cushioning zone known as “el tapón del Darién”. Within the thick, rural, and enigmatic jungle, the ethnic group Emberá distributed in semi-nomad groups which erect high huts in the banks of large rivers such as Chucunaque, Sambú or Tuira. Farmers, hunters, fishermen and sometimes collectors, The Emberá culture outstands because of its beauty and delicacy of their handcrafts. They carve sculptures in wood from a tree named cocobolo, beautiful miniature seeds of the tagua palm tree, vegetal ivory, and knit in exquisite bags with exceptional designs with palm tree fiber named “chunga”. There are some Emberá settlements in jungle areas very close to Panama City, wherein they live as they do in the jungle.
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Panama´s ethnic variety
The tribe of the painted bodies
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Almost 7,000 indians from the Wounaan settlement share the jungle territory of Darien with their brothers Emberá. The two cultures are very similar in the manner they live, but speak two different languages. The Wounaan work the same hand crafts as Embera’s with the same extraordinary quality. Women dress with a colorful squirt only paruma and are usually topless, their bodies painted with intricated designs red and black, designs in reddish and black tonalities they obtain from achiote (special seasoning) and the dye they extract from a plant named jaguar. Their settlements are generally located near swamps, wherein they fish and collect shrimps and oysters. For such purposes they use traps, arc and arrows, lance and blowpipes charged with deadly arrows
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Panama´s ethnic variety