Food

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The women own property in the jungle for growing food, but the men work the land,
The typically grow pineapple, coconuts, breadfruit plantains and other fruit. The Kuna´ diet consists mostly of nice and seafood. Their classic drink is chicha; these are made by boiling
water and corn.

Kuakas are hand carved and hulled out of large trees found in the jungle. They are then smoothed of all the splinters and hand painted with brigh colors. The Kuna either use ores to row the boats or attach sails. If they have enough money, then they affix a motor to the back.

Behing the Kuakas in the back of the photo there is a picture of a restroom. The facilities are built over the water, so the waste can into the ocean. Very Few islands have electricity or running water, but the ones that do sometimes have fluship commodes. Some families even build concrete restrooms and bathing facilities.

Political System

The Kuna have the most sophisticated organization of any tribal group in Latin America. They elect chiefs that manage the village´ politics and govern the community. The elected officials conduct meeting called "congresos" and during this time they make decisions for the village. Each village has at leat two chiefs and all San Blas is managed by an elected head chief and subordinate chieft.

Family of Eliseo Iglesias

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Rosana Iglesias

School

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Most of the villages have elementary schools for the childre. Teachers from Panamà are required to instruct for two years on the Islands before they are able to teach in Panamà City.
The children are divided into groups to either attend school in the morning or the afternoon. Very few villages have Junior High Schools, son if a parent wants their child have further education, then they must boat them to the nearest island wint a Junior High. No villages offer High School. It the familiy wants to send their child to High School, then the youth must move to Panamà

Houses

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The Kuna reside in bamboo huts. The men go to the jungle to gather various sizes of banana leaves and bamboo sticks to build the shelter. Them tightly together with twine. The roofs are very sturdy and usually last up to twenty years before they need to be replaced. There are small slits between the bamboo in order for the light to shine through during the day. Because most islands do not have electricity, they burn gas lamps at night. Even though the streets are dirt, the women get up early in the morning when the sun is barely shining to sweep trash off the paths.

Kuna Wear

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Kuna Wear

The Kuna women still wear the traditional dress of their ancestors. This includes brightly colored scarves, gold jewelrym and mola dresses. Most of the older women have nose rings made of gold. Their noses are pierced as young childre, and a small piece of wood is inserted in the hole. When the wood gets wet it expands; this process continues until the hole is big enough for the ring to be inserted. The women stitch molas on the front and back of their shirts for added color and personalization. They also wear beads around their arms and legs that have intricate designs woven throughout. For rouge, the women paint their faces with mashed achiote seeds. They also paint a black line dows their nose for added beauty.

The kuna men, on the other hand, wear much les traditional clothing. Their way of dressing resembles that of American men. The chiefs of the islands usually wear dress pants and button down dress shirts. Many of them also wear ties and hats; this way of dressing distinguishes them from the other citizens.

Nana e Ismael leyendo la Biblia.

Porque yo Jehovà soy tu Dios, quien te sostiene de tu mano derecha,
y te dice: No temas, yo te ayudo.
Isaìas 41,13

Molas

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Molas were developed when the Kuna woman were able to acquire store-bought yard goods in the mid 18000s when they met European traders. This offered them the opportunity
to express themselves through complex desighs. They are carefully hand stitched; however, some of the women are now using sewing machines. They sew these on these on their dresses as part of their custom wear. They also stitch molas onto pillows, t-shirts, billfolds, purses, ties, and many other things to sell to tourists on the islands and in Panamà. The Kuna live on about twenty dollars a month, so the women sell these molas for extra money.

Chi Chi Parties

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The kuna tribes celebrate special occasions by having Chi chi Parties that usually last about three days. The women of the community prepare for the celebration by brewing beer from bananas. They strongly encourage everyone in the community to participate; if one chooses not to, then they are heavily fined.

Culture

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These Indians Have a strong knit tribal society. They remain close to their families, and when a woman gets married the man moves in with her familiy.
The grandmother is the head of the household thus displaying a matriarchal society. Daughters are valued in the Kuna family because they will eventually bring added manpower to the familiy. Through out the centuries, the Kuna have hept their indigenous way of life, although some outside influence has slowly filtered its way through.

The " Golden Children" and Religion

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Many of the elder Kuna believed that they were God's chosen people and because of that they would automatically go to heaven. The late Kuna worshiped a sun god. They would roll themselves in gold dust, and when they stood in the sun, their bodies glowed. This was where the name "Golden Children" was derived. Most of the younger generations, however, do not hold this belief.













The Kuna believe in a God that created the world, but is now far away. They think that groups of evil spirits roam the earth and are able to enter people bodies causing sickness and diseases. Witch doctors are prevalent throughout the communities. When a person is sick, the witch doctor chants and gives the patient homemade medicine. If the person dies, then the community may have a smoke out. They build a large fire to smoke the evil spirits away from the island. When this practice is being performed, no Americans or anyone other than Kuna are allowed on the island. They believe outsiders may carry more evil spirits in.

The Kuna chief is regarded much like an Old Testamaent prophet that speaks for God. He tells people what they must do in order to please the LORD, so he will not send horrible things against them. Many Kuna still have not heard the clear message of Jesus Christ.

History

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In the early 1500s the Spanish tried to civilize the Kuna by trying to change their way of life They also used them as slaves for hard labor. Thousands were killed for their gold nose rings, and many died from European diseases However, the Kunas made allies with the British againist the Spanish to win their independence from Spain. As a result, there continues to be hostility toward the Spanish and amicable relations with Panamà. Then, with the help of America in 1925 they became a reserve within the Republic of Panamà. Their population continues to increase ( there is now an estimated 60,000 Kunas), and although they remain somewhat outside the Panamanian society, they are influenced by Western culture. This is largely due to the Columbian trade boats and tourist that visit the islands.

San Blas Islands

Hundres of years ago, the Kuna lived on the mainland of Panamà until a fierce earthquake killed many of them. Out of safety, the tribes moved to the islands of San Blas. The islands are located off the Atlantic coast of Panamá. There are three hundred and eighty islands in all, but only fifty-two are inhabited. Most of the islands are less than a mile in length and formed by coral reef. If more are needed, then they build up more land with rock. Very few tribes still live on the mainland.

Weather

The San Blas Islands are hot and humid with the average temperature in the eighties and nineties. January through May is considered the dry season and May to September are the months with the heaviest rainfall.

Language

The Kuna have their own language called Tule. This dialect is spoken in phrases rather than full sentences like English in grade school, so by the time they leave elementary they are fluent in Spanish. Very few Kunas are able to speak English. Most that do know the language are men that used to work on the Panamà Canal; they learned English from the Americans. When the Panamanians took over the canal in 2000, many Kuna lost their jobs and moved back to the Islands.

Robby leyendo la Biblia.
Hermano de Eliseo