The Entrepreneur

Panama has a diverse group of indigenous cultures, which play an important role in the cultural diversity of the country . There are seven different indigenous cultures Ngöbe , Buglé , Kuna , Embera , Wounaan , Naso and Bribri . These cultures are divided into four main groups: the Gunas , the Embera / Wounaan , Ngobe -Bugle ( Guaymíes ) , and Naso Teribe / Bribri Indians.

Largely indigenous cultures of Panama have maintained a traditional lifestyle and have autonomous control over their own governments. In addition to the nine provinces geopolitical Panama , there are also three " regions", belonging to indigenous groups. Shire is a traditional region or local administrative division and enables indigenous cultures practice traditional forms of government without interference.

According to the 2000 census , there were 285,231 indigenous people living in Panama that represent nearly 10% of the total population .

There are about 50,000 Indians in Panama Guna with most living in the San Blas Islands on the Caribbean coast . There are other communities that are in the jungle and Bayano Chucunaque too.

The Wounaan

Origin

During the colonial period these Aboriginal both Embera Wounaan ethnicity and ethnicity were known by other names, such as: citares, zirambiraes, citabiraes, Choco and others. They entered the isthmus around the eighteenth century from the Choco region in Colombia. Recent studies indicate that before the arrival of Columbus probably held lands in Brazil.

Location

The Embera-Wounaan ethnicity encompasses five hundred acres and is divided into forty-two communities with a total of nine thousand Indians approximate.

This group is divided into indigenous Wounaan and Embera. The first inhabited areas of Darien, scattered on the banks of the Quince, Tupiza, Tuira, Chad and Jingurundo river Rio, living in collective land outside the county in Puerto Lara, Balsas, Jaque, and Sambu River Catfish. The Embera inhabit the banks of the River Chucunaque, Tuira, Tupiza and Rio Chico and also live in the province of Panama: Chagres, Mocambo Abajo, San Antonio, Gamboa and Embera Gatun majé.

Language

The Embera Indians speak the Embera and Wounaan wounaan meu. Embera means "good man" or "good friend". In meu wounaan means "people, people, or people.

Dwelling

She is built on stilts (stilts), to protect them from flooding from rivers. The roof is conical, is made using the leaves of the plant known as guagara, but also use the leaves of the royal palm, but also use other styles. The floor is called jira palm bark. They sleep on mats made from tree bark.

Clothes

Men use a covered-call sex Guayuco (Andia) and a handmade skirt originally made from seeds and in recent times with plastic beads (used on special occasions) Amburä call, but when will people wear shirts and trousers. Women use fabrics Paruma (Gua) and wrap your body until your knees

The Embera 

With an estimated population of 25,000 inhabitants , the Embera live in the rainforest in Darien province , along the Rio Gatun . There are about 2,600 indigenous Wounaan who also live in the Darien jungle .

The Ngöbe Buglé ( Guaymí )

It is the largest indigenous group in Panama with about 190,000 members, with 63.6 % of the indigenous population. This group lives in the highlands of Chiriqui , Bocas del Toro and Veraguas.

The Naso ( Teribe ) / 

The TERIBE, Naso or Tjer-di are an indigenous group located northwest of Panama, specifically west of the province of Bocas del Toro, in an area of ​​1,300 km ², the territory covers much of the basin Teribe river and river San San. There are about 3,500.

History

The first settlers were established on the area of ​​the basins of the rivers torrijos, Changuinola and Sixaola, in a region covering the west of the province of Bocas del Toro to the northeast corner of Costa Rica.

It is well defined and compact indigenous group known since the first Spanish explorers entered the region bathed Teribe River and its tributaries.

Teribes Indians terebes, tervis, tejves, térrebes or Térrabas multiforme spelling with which they are known at different times in the documents of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries throughout the Teribe River Island Changuinola and extended Toja or Columbus, and were formed by various biases, all the more warlike neighboring tribes. They only had to be enemies or changuinas chánguenas, Carib tribe remarkable firmness and Talamancas who inhabited the banks of the River Sixaola.

There are approximately 3,800 members of the Naso tribe and is one of the few groups of indigenous Native Americans who have a monarchy. The Bribri population just over 2,500 inhabitants.

Both cultures living in the province of Bocas del Toro and live in the coastal areas of the Teribe , Changuinola, San San , Yorkin and Sixaola rivers in the northwest of the country.

The Bribri

Present

Currently, about 10,000 individuals Bribri (the number that gives the National Census 2000 is 9645 people) live in the southern region of Costa Rica, mainly in indigenous reserves and Cabagra Salitre, in the canton of Buenos Aires, located in the province of Puntarenas in the Reserva de Talamanca, in the canton of the same name. Along the bed of the river and the Rio Sixaola Yorkín, bordering Panama.

Religion

Main article: Religion bribri

The Bribri practice an animistic religion based on an indigenous shamanism, one of the oldest religions still practiced in Costa Rica, but the oldest. Their beliefs are based on the cult Sibú and structuring of society into clans bribri

The Kuna:, Cot or Guna1 are an Amerindian village located in Panama and Colombia. Their language is part of the Chibcha language family. In Kuna language, call themselves dule (Pronounced Tule) meaning "person". (For example, andule 'I,' we dule 'that person.')

(According to the linguistic conventions of the tribe its name should be written in the script Gunadule approved in 2010 by the General Congress of the Nation Gunadule, although it remains as it has been traditionally: Tule Kuna sounds according to the phonetics of the Spanish language 1)

Ngäbe Bugle (Panama)

Two. º

Guaimí Indian Reservation (cantons of Coto Brus, Brokers & Osa, Costa Rica). 1

 3,171 hab.

Ngäbe is an indigenous people, who live in western Panama, mainly in the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle and the provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. In Costa Rica, living in four Indian reservations 2 Altos de San Antonio (Coto Brus), in the towns of Villa Palacios, Caño Bravo and Limoncito, where access to San Vito and Sabalito; Abrojos-Montezuma (canton of Brokers) Under the villages of Los Indios, San Rafael de Abrojos, Montezuma and Bellavista; Conteburica, between the cantons of Brokers and Coto Brus, the towns of La Vaca, El Progreso, Santa Rosa, Rio Claro, The Twins and Plancitos, and Guaymí Osa, between Quebrada Pavón and Riyito River in Dos Brazos de Osa, bordering Corcovado National Park, many of whom also live in Sixaola, in the province of Limón.

More than 200 thousand people and Ngäbere speak a language of the Chibchan family. The border between Panama and Costa Rica are defined without consulting the people, so it was split in two.

Indigenous Ngobe Bugle are known as. In indigenous languages ​​and Buglere is Ngäbere person. These two groups do not talk alike and have different customs. It calls itself Ngäbe. It comprises the ng b consonants vowel ä nasal and oral vowel e

Economy and culture

Its main activity is subsistence agriculture and the main crops are corn, rice, beans, cassava, yam and plantain.

Part of the Ngäbe is originating migrate seasonally or permanently migrated to Costa Rica to work on coffee plantations. Other ways to earn income are working on banana plantations and selling their crafts and tourist sites in the side of the roads in Panama.

The ngäbe women make between their traditional craft, all of which serve to their dress and their families and for sale. This includes plant fiber woven bags (called "kra"), colorful long gowns for women decorated with geometric motifs ("petticoats") and bracelets and necklaces and beads, used as ornaments before the war. Men Natural fiber weave hats for everyday use or to sell.