Tag Archives: kuna

Master Mola Maker, Lisa

Kuna Indians in Guna Yala

The Kuna (or Guna) Indians have struggled for over hundreds of years for their independence.  They originally lived in the Darien Mountains but they slowly immigrated to the San Blas islands in the 1700’s.  They fought the Spaniards, Colombians, Panamanians, and pirates.  Here is a great website on the Kuna Indians.

In 1925 they agreed to be a part of the Republic of Panama if the government agreed to respect their tribal laws, traditions, and culture.  The Kuna received partial autonomy in 1930, and 1938 they were recognized as an official reserve. By 1945 they had a constitution and by 1953 they were granted full administrative and judicial powers.

Each year, the Kuna participate in a reenactment of the revolution.  It is NOT a celebration, but rather a reenactment to remember the struggles their ancestors went through to gain their independence.  It is also used as an educational opportunity for the youth.

The Guna Yala are very proud of their traditions and customs.  A traditional Kuna village is like stepping back centuries, but visitors are very welcome and appreciated.  Most of the small islands do not have running water or electricity beyond solar power or small generators.  But they survive, are happy, and live long lives.  They are a very peaceful, friendly community the sell molas, fish, lobster, octopus, crabs, fruits, veggies and more to tourists and cruisers.

Guna Yala is a matrilineal society where the women control the money.  The women select their spouse when they are mature enough, but not at any specific age.  They are not allowed to marry outside of the tribe which has caused a kind of genetic insulation and there are many albinos and most Kuna are short in stature.  If they marry outside the tribe, they will be shunned and not allowed back.  The husband moves into the woman’s family compound

Kuna woman walking in standard outfit for women

Kuna woman walking in standard outfit for women

KUNA VILLAGES AND HUTS

The Kuna huts are made from renewable and fast-growing materials.  The roofs are composed of special palm fronts, dried and tied together with each palm costing $0.50 (which is expensive for the Kuna).  The walls are made of bamboo and tied together with twine or fabric.  There are no nails or commercial products and most huts stand for over 15 years against torrential storms.  The interiors are very sparse with dirt floors, hammocks and a few tree trunks for chairs and tables.

Kuna home and twine holding bamboo shoots together

Kuna home and twine holding bamboo shoots together

Most islands do not have running water or restrooms in their huts.  The villagers (and public) use outhouses built like a room, over water.

Floor of the public bathroom

Floor of the public bathroom

KUNA HEALTH

The average lifespan for the Guna Yala is well over 100 years.  Lisa, the master mola maker told us that the average person lives to be 115-120!  Her parents both lived to be 97 years old and thought to have died young.  Good clean living is a testament to a long life.

KUNA HEIRACRCHY

There are many Guna Yala communities within the San Blas Island chain.  Each community consists of several islands and has 3 Sailas (chiefs), with one is superior.  In addition to these Sailas, there are junior Sailas (akin to executives) and Sualipetmar which are their version of police, and a shaman “Nele” medicine woman/man.

CONGRESSO

The Sailas meet in the “congresso” the biggest hut in the village, where they sit and swing in hammocks situated in the center of the room.  As guardians of the Guna knowledge, the Sailas rarely give direct orders.  They do communicate through “Argars” which are powerful and important personalities that interpret the Sailas’ wisdom.

Seated around the Sailas and Argars are two rings of people.  The inner ring is composed of women and children and the outer ring contains adult males.  Everybody has the opportunity to express complaints or ideas.  This can be a grievance against your brother, spouse, neighbor, or lover.

COMING OF AGE
It is a special occasion when young girls “come of age.”  All of the men in her village with come bearing palm fronds to build her a room within her parents’ hut.  Inside this room, will be a very small canoe or ulu where she will bath and be blessed.  Only her family and girl friends are allowed inside her room.

The village will celebrate this occasion with a celebration where a family member will host a 4-day party providing food, beverages, and entertainment at no cost for the entire village and community.  “Chica” is brewed from sugarcane and other special ingredients, which is the main drink consumed at these festivities.  It takes 10 days to ferment and is stored in large pottery.

Kuna require that you ask permission before you take a photo as they do not like to be photographed and be prepared to be turned down.  I think I asked over a dozen Kuna for permission and only received a few affirmations.

Kuna Indians in San Blas:

Sweet Kuna man carving wood

Sweet Kuna man carving wood

Master Mola Maker, Lisa

Master Mola Maker, Lisa

 

Cute monkey, but his living conditions are so sad.

Islands: Nargana and Corazon de Jesus

There is a cruiser net every morning at 0830 on the SSB where information is shared.  Sometimes the cruisers net is on the VHF radio and sometimes it is on the SSB radio.  We use the SSB radio here since it has a longer reach and can be heard across the 380 islands in the San Blas chain.  Many cruisers have mentioned an island called Nargana which has gasoline, diesel, water, and provisioning.  We had been to Carti which sold similar things bu in the opposite direction of Nargana.  So, this time we wanted to try Nargana as we had never been there before and were running low on fresh fruits and veggies.

A big rain storm had just damaged the water pipes in Nargana so the entire island was without running water.  They also were out of fuel and rumor was they were low on produce, but we wanted to visit anyway.  We headed there with our friends on “Wandering Rose” close on our tail.

The winds were blowing 20-25 knots at 35 degrees so we just had a reefed jib out.  Nargana was only 6 miles away and we averaged 6 knots so we made it in under 90 minutes from anchorage to anchorage.  We did manage to collect a hitch hiker who promised not to poop on my deck. However, as we were anchoring we must have woke him up as he flew away, but not before pooping along the entire port bow!  You’re welcome for the ride.

Stupid BIRD!

Stupid BIRD!

Nargana is connected to Corazon de Jesus another small island, by a giant industrial concrete bridge.  The photo below shows the entire bridge, then the entrance on the Nargana side, then the entrance from the Corazon de Jesus side.

Bridge from Nargana to Corazon de Jesus.

Bridge from Nargana to Corazon de Jesus.

We tied up Sweetie at the Nargana dock and walked through a restaurant where people were eating.  It smelled amazing.  We had wanted to sit down to eat, but our friends were coming and provisioning had to be done. But we did see their pet monkey.  Yes, it was sad to see him tied up, but he seemed loved and was very entertaining.  He obviously knew what a camera was as he posed every time one was facing him.

Cute monkey, but his living conditions are so sad.

Cute monkey, but his living conditions are so sad.

Dave and Mary from “Wandering Rose” had been here before and met a local named “Frederiko” who had us sign his book before showing us around.  First, we explored the little island of Nargana where we witnessed many men installing pipes for their new water system.  They will have fresh running water within the week.

Frederkio, Wandering Rose, and Sugar Shack on Nargana

Frederkio, Wandering Rose, and Sugar Shack on Nargana

There were many beautiful buildings and sites on this island.  The image below shows the following (top, left to right):  House repurposed plastic bottles to make a lovely fence, local church, statue of Kuna leader, a Kuna house (tilting), new house being built and the local market where we bought provisions.

Nargana Images

Nargana Images

After crossing the bridge to Corazon de Jesus where we found the local bar (upper left corner), the Congresso (upper right corner), hospital, Jesus statue, electrical company, and another market where they were making fresh bread (image of over lower right).

Corazon de Jesus Images.

Corazon de Jesus Images.

We did not stay long as we needed to head to Salardup which was 12 miles away.  The wind had shifted and blowing at about 60 degrees which would make for a perfect sail back.  We reefed the main and the jib, averaged 8 knots speed with a max at 9.3 as we dodged the reefs.  It was a beautiful day to out on a boat and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Matt put his expert lobster skills to work and made us a lobster pasta.

Lobster Dinner risoto

Lobster Dinner risoto

New Experiences:

  • Islands
  • Local friends
  • Zig zagging around reefs under sail
Sea Biscuits. Treasures of the sea.

Canbombia: The Friendly Island

We needed to clean the boat and start a few boat projects now that our guests have left.  But first we had to run a small errand for our friend Louis on “Freya.”  Our plan was to stop in Banedup (E. Lemons), then head to Salardup, then explore Canbombia, Nargana, and a few other new islands.

First, back to the East Lemons to give Louis some items I brought back with me from the states.  As we were anchoring in the “high rent” district up toward the reef, Louis came by in his dinghy and told us to meet him ashore for lunch.

We set Sugar Shack and headed toward Banedup.  It was a slow day at the bar, so we were able to order us up some chicken and coconut rice.  We caught up with Louis and enjoyed a really juicy chicken lunch.

The boat was a mess and it was driving Matt and I crazy.  I started in on the laundry as that took the longest and would require us to make more energy and water.  After we set the first load out to dry, we headed over to “Freya” for sundowners.   A quiet evening with friends.

The next day, Mariah, Louis’s crew offered to give me a massage for my birthday which I jumped at.  She does a combination of massages and it felt wonderful.  Newly refreshed, I jumped in the water and went in search of sea biscuits.  On my last visit here, we found a lot of them around the corner of Nuinundup and I wanted to get a few more for friends back in the states.

Sea Biscuits. Treasures of the sea.

Sea Biscuits. Treasures of the sea.

Next, we were on the move toward Salardup where it is less crowded.  Our friends “Itchy Foot” and “Wandering Rose” both had guests onboard and were planning on being in the same anchorage.  Funny that we knew 2 of the 5 boats anchored here.  We arrived after lunch and went for a snorkel.  Matt had the Hawaiian sling in hand with the hopes of catching some lobster.  We found 3 lobsters but were unable to catch them as they are fast little buggers!

We cleaned up and headed to shore see Larry, the local Kuna onshore, for some cold beers.  Our friends from “Itchy Foot” and “Wandering Rose” joined us for some beers.  It was a good group of cruisers and guests enjoying the local way of life.

Impromptu gathering on the beach

Impromptu gathering on the beach

We motored past a long island called Myriadup which is in the process of being cleaned up for tourism.  They brought in local workers who stayed on island (in the blue tents), to clear the mangroves.  As we went past, it looked really good and very similar to Salt Whistle Bay-one of our favorite spots in the Caribbean.

Myriadup under clean up.

Myriadup under clean up.

As we approached the western end of Canbombia, we witnessed a local fisherman using a huge cast net.  Very fascinating to watch.

Local Kuna fishing with an enormous cast net.

Local Kuna fishing with an enormous cast net.

It took us a few tries to catch the hook, but we finally dug Davey in at 2.7 meters of water.  Canbombia is a really pretty anchorage surrounded by reefs.  The water is clear and blue, the island is clean and trees are abundant.  3 pangas approached us immediately, each selling something different.  One had pulpo (octopus), one had crab, and one sold us 3 medium size lobsters for $12.  There seems to be two established Kuna residents on either side of the island.

Hernando lives at the larger of the two establishments and was hosting a dinner.  We went over and asked him to add us for dinner so we could join our friends on “Wandering Rose” who were anchored here as well.  Hernando was the chef and he has lived on island for 3 years and will never go back to Panama. He has one natural son and the rest of the bunch of kids are cousins visiting during school break.  All of the kids go to school in Panama and stay with other relatives.

He had a nice little set up with logs for benches, molas for side coverage, a tarp for a roof, and a little battery pack for light.  Coco Loco’s were served which is a coconut cut open (with coconut juice) and added rum.  Made for a festive table.  The menu consisted of lobster, crab and coconut rice.  Hernando is an exceedingly friendly and jovial man.  He tries very hard to please his guests and went out of his way to make sure we were happy – and we were very happy!  He alone, makes it worth visiting Canbombia!

Dinner with Herando and Wandering Rose crew.

Dinner with Herando and Wandering Rose crew.

The next day we went back to the island to explore and walk around.  The had a nice little dirt path that took your around the entire island in about 20 minutes.  Along the way we saw several semi dead Portuguese manawars which have been spotted all across the San Blas islands.  These are very poisonous creatures and cause severe pain when they sting you.

Canbombia walking path around island.

Canbombia walking path around island.

Hernando’s next-door neighbor had several pigs, one running around and three in pens as well as a large trap area for his lobster, crab, and small fish that he serves tourists.  Hernando then pulled out his lobster trap (lower left corner) and his nephew showed off a catch.

Animals on Canbombia island.

Animals on Canbombia island.

Boat projects in Canbombia:

  • Pressure wash topsides
  • Clean Waterline
  • Scrub heads (bathrooms)
  • Bleach shells, sea biscuits