May 19th - San Blas Islands and the Kuna Yala

Today we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove about 4 hours to the San Blas Islands on the Eastern coast of Panama. We then took a boat to the island of Abuja or in English, known as the Needle Island. 

The Abuja Island, called Icodub by the Kuna people who own it,  is one of many islands in this part of the Caribbean archipelago, along with hundreds of others. These islands are inhabited by indigenous people and we had the opportunity to explore the culture of one of the largest groups of them. The Kuna reservation was located about a 45 minute boat ride from where we are staying.

 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a Kuna cultural expert named Davies. A Kuna himself, he had an immense knowledge of the four thousand year old Kuna traditions, including their spiritual practices, their migration from the mountains to the sea, and their daily routines living on the island. 

One of the most interesting things that Davies explained to us was their spiritual beliefs expressed through the creation of Molas, which are geometrical patterns designed on quilts for the purpose of warding off demons and spiritual sickness through plants, water, and the practice done by the local medicine man. 

Davies spoke of the reason for their becoming an island culture when they use to be a mountain culture. The mountains they use to live in are now a part of Panama and Columbia. When Panamanians invaded the area, they drove the Kunas out to the islands, where they could continue their way of live and follow their own laws and traditions, rather than compromising their beliefs to please the Panaminan government. 

One thing that was particularly interesting was the use of the conch shell to communicate with the rest of the island, with different calls alerting the community to such things as impending weather and wake-up calls on workdays.

It seems as if the island works together as a whole to feed, govern, educate, and keep the community spiritually healthy. An example of this is when the men go out and hunt, they bring back their meat and share it amongst the entire island, making the sure the women and children get their fill.   They also have political cooperation between the council elders, who are called Silas, and between each island community. 

When girls go through puberty at around 12 years of age, there is a big celebration and a special ceremonial room is made for the girl to spend the next four days in. After those days are over, beer is fermented over the course of a week and distributed in celebration of this milestone. At the age of 15, another celebratory beer is made in honor of the girl entering womanhood and she is required to shave her head at this time. Unlike some other indigenous cultures, she is not now required to be wed just because she has reached the age of adulthood. In fact, many women wait to get married around the age of 30 and even go on to further their education in cities like Panama City. 

Overall, the best part of the trip were the countless happy little children who were eager to say "hola!" and a big ole smile on their face. It was an incredible experience to be able to see a culture so unlike ours yet so incredibly prosperous and happy. 

Here are some anklets for sale that were made by Davies' grandmother. They are traditionally worn but the ones that the Kuna women were typically cover their entire shin and are more ornate. It is a single strand of beads wrapped around the leg multiple times, a process just beginning in the photo below.