Tag Archives: san blas islands

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

 

Underway to a new adventure.

Texas Friends In the House: Part II

Birthday celebration!  Today, the 16th of January was my actual birthday and it started off with breakfast pancakes and Rose!  We took our Texas friends over to “Element” where they served us delicious pancakes.  What better way to start the day than with friends, pancakes and Rose?

Pancakes and Rose

Pancakes and Rose

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, the sky was blue and we were all in good spirits.  Everyone enjoyed the water and treasure hunting.  We found two types of conch shells: the regular conch and helmet conch which have a much prettier shell.  The regular conch was extracted and quickly served for an afternoon snack.  Josh made a great sauce and fried them up in a pan.

Conch fritters coming up...

Conch fritters coming up…

We had invited several boats over to celebrate my milestone birthday.  Friends, new and old included: w/ Darren and Kelly from “Mischief”, Jon, Mia and Teo from “Itchy Foot”, Shawn, Sherrie, Paige, Jordan, Manuel, and Nadja from “Element”, Dave and Mary from “Wandering Rose,” Mark and Angie from “Una Mas” and off course, Josh, Sara, Lisa, Matt and I.

Everyone bought a variety of appetizers, Matt made his famous tasty ribs, and libations were had by all – including jello shots.

The birthday cupcakes and the angel food cake were brought out and quickly disappeared– sweet way to start the next 50 years.  A special thanx to Lisa for saving the birthday wish!

Birthday Party on Sugar Shack

Birthday Party on Sugar Shack

Birthday on the boat with cruiser friends.

Birthday on the boat with cruiser friends.

Next morning everyone got up to go snorkeling and treasure hunting.  Always something fun to be found in the sea: shells, conch, lobster.

We decided to pull up anchor and head to Gunboat island.  Lucky for us we had just enough wind to turn off the engines and unfurl the jib for a little sail.  It was a quick, but delightful trip.  As we approached the anchorage we noticed how roly it was as the wind was coming in from a different direction.  We were going to give it a try, but as we slowed to drop the anchor it was apparent that this would not be a comfortable spot.  So, we left Gunboat island and headed to Salardup where there are several surrounding islands.

Underway to a new adventure.

Underway to a new adventure.

Matt had anchored here for 9 days while I was in the states and made friends with the locals.  Larry, runs the island for 4 months, during season.  He is a cross fit instructor in Panama during the rest of the year.  He is super lovely and welcoming and provided us with some cold beer.

A massive ship named Thalassaabout 130’+ was anchored here. She carried 43 crew, most of them students from the Netherlands on a 6-month study abroad program.  They camped on the island for a few days and were preparing to provision in Panama and then head back to the Netherlands.

Thalassa massive ship with dozens of students.

Thalassa massive ship with dozens of students.

Invading Salardup

Invading Salardup

The next day we pulled up anchor and headed to the Western most part of the Holandes Cays.  This is not the touristy part, but the more isolated islands of Waisaldup and Akuadargana.  We took Sweetie to Waisaldup first, but there was not much to do on this tiny little island besides have a beer and sit in the sand.  So, after we finished our cold beverage we headed to Akuadargana.

This was a much bigger island that had several huts which appeared to be for rent and a main congresso (meeting space) where the locals gathered.  As we entered the congresso, we noticed they had a TV!  What?  Crazy.  The boys went to explore as the girls did a little shopping.  They had molas, jewelry, purses, and head bands.

New island for all of us - AKUADARAGANA

New island for all of us – AKUADARAGANA

They also sold pure coconut oil which I had to buy to support the locals.

100% Pure coconut oil - love it

100% Pure coconut oil – love it

Thursday morning meant Lisa had to leave us.  Her panga was scheduled to pick her up early in the morning.  Unfortunately, it was raining.  We put her backpack and small carry on in trash bags and gave her a few extra bags to sit on in the panga.  It was a wet and stormy ride.  During the height of the storm, the panga stopped, said he was “lost” and asked passengers to bail water out of the panga.  I think Lisa thought she might have to swim to shore.  Luckily, the storm passed, she made it to shore, caught her 4×4 and her plane back to Texas.

As she went through her harrowing experience, I had one of my own.  My stitches had to come out.  I had asked Matt and Sara to assist.  We got out the medical bag, magnifying glass, flashlight, and scissors.  The trick is to pull the whisker, cut below the knot and pull the stitch out.  Easier said then done, especially when you can’t see all 3 stitches.  They managed to get 2 of the 3 out, with only a wee bit of pain.

Surgery at its best on Sugar Shack

Surgery at its best on Sugar Shack

As we were lounging around, a young woman came up on a SUP with a dog.  We were both from the states and she was excited to see another American boat.  She asked if we had an apple charger and we did, so she said she and her husband would come back later to pick it up.  They came around sundowner time and we enjoyed some libations.  Matt was cooking up a special treat, lobster risotto and we invited our new friends Adam and Alyssa from “Heritage” to stay.  Great conversation and scrumptious meal!

Dinner - lobsters!

Dinner – lobsters!

TEXAS FRIENDS IN THE HOUSE – CONTINUES…STAY TUNED FOR PART III

See Texas Friends in the House Part I on previous post.

Leaving in my private panga

America or Bust

It’s that time of year again where I head back to America to visit with family and friends and see my doctors.  This trip will be an extrordinary one as I will be pre-celebrating my 50th birthday across America!  As many of you know, I like to have a birthday month!

I could not sleep and was awake with the sunrise. To my utter delight it was magnificent.

Sunrise on Sugar Shack

Sunrise on Sugar Shack

Traveling to and from the San Blas islands requires a bit of work as they are not easy to get to.  I worked with Judy Lam at Lam Tours who helped me with all the arrangements.  She is incredibly thorough, courteous, and customer centric!

The panga was supposed to pick me up at 0730 from Banedup in the East Lemons, but since we had moved the boat to Carti, the pick up was pushed to 0830.  So, at 0725, we thought we had plenty of time to eat breakfast and finish my packing. But, no.  At 0730, a panga circled about and asked if I was ready.  Eek gads, an hour early?  Nope, I asked them to give me 30 minutes and they agreed to come back.  We ate quickly, shoved last-minute items into my back pack and finished getting ready.  I got the panga all to myself.

In my private panga on the way to America.

In my private panga on the way to America.

After exploring the Carti islands, we had thought that the “terminal” where the panga drops you off and where you pick up your 4×4 was on the mainland.  Incorrect!  My panga driver, expertly wove us through the beautiful Rio de Carti Grande.

My friendly panga driver

My friendly panga driver

The water was brown, but all of the trees and brush were a vibrant green.  It was a lovely trip down a quiet river.

Traveling up Rio Carti Grande in the panga

Traveling up Rio Carti Grande in the panga

Within 15 minutes we arrived to Port Bosukun where we met our 4×4 driver.  My original panga ride would have taken 45-65 minutes from Banedup, so having Sugar Shack in Carti saved me from a much longer, bumpy, wet panga ride. Cost from Carti $5 (from Banedup).

Arriving at Port Bosuken in the panga to await my 4x4

Arriving at Port Bosuken in the panga to await my 4×4

There were loads of people waiting here, which was surprising.  Where did they all come from.

Terminal at Port Bosuken

Terminal at Port Bosuken

Since my panga driver was early, I had to wait over an hour for my 4×4 driver.  I milled around, spoke to a few people and tried to avoid being eaten alive by the no-seeums.  After about 45 minutes, my panga driver came over to me and pointed out my 4×4 driver.  Six passengers loaded their gear in the back and we were on our way.  The ride is 2.5-3 hours.

The 4×4 turned out to be a Landrover with a transmission problem.  Our driver, Angel did his best up and over the hills and through the windy roads, but it was a struggle at times.

Six passengers in the 4x4 ride to Panama City

Six passengers in the 4×4 ride to Panama City

Our 4x4 Landrover chariot

Our 4×4 Landrover chariot

Thank goodness, I sat in front, otherwise I probably would have been car sick.  We made it to the airport in one piece after almost 3 hours.  Cost: $30.

This is the last trip where I can enjoy my platinum status, so I took great pleasure in skipping the huge line and walking up to the short priority lane.  The amazingly sweet AA agent was able to book me on an earlier flight out of Panama and into Miami.  Instead of having to wait 4 hours at the airport with no Admirals club and no wifi, he got me onto a flight that left in 2 hours.  In addition, he also got me on an earlier flight to American so I now arrive at 2300 instead of 0100.  Lucky me.  America here I come.

I walked the entire airport and poked me head in several stores.  I did not buy anything as 1) I’m on a budget since we are not working; and 2) I don’t have a credit card since I lost my wallet in Columbia.  But it is always fun to window shop.

My chariot from Panama City to Miami

My chariot from Panama City to Miami

The flight to America (LA) was equally uneventful, always a good thing.  I had hoped to sleep, but was pleasantly surprised to see entertainment systems at each seat.  Instead of getting a much-needed rest, I watched 3 movies from MIA to LAX!  Sweet.  One of my favorite past times and I had a lot of movies to catch up on.

Landed in LA around 2300 and was picked up by my sweet brother in law and whisked back to his house for a good long rest.