Indigenous Panama: The Emberá

One of my most memorable experiences during those first weeks exploring Panama with my new friends (all Dell employees and/or members of AIESEC) was an excursion we took to an indigenous community outside the capital.  Most families of this particular tribe, the Emberá, are concentrated in Panama's southernmost province of Darién, the impassible jungle that serves as a natural border between Panama and Colombia.  For the sake of time and money, however, we visited a community located a little closer to Panama City on the Upper Chagres River.

To reach our destination, we took a crowded van on a rickety road to a port on the Chagres River about an hour from Panama City.  From the port, we hopped into little motorized canoes with the nearly naked tribesmen (they wore only loincloths) and enjoyed a jungle cruise before arriving at our final destination: a hiking trail that would take us to a beautiful waterfall.

We swam in the river for a bit and hiked back out when the clouds began to look ominous.  The Emberá led us to a covered area where they served us fried fish and plantains for lunch, and then they treated us to an interactive lesson about their culture.  

They told us (in Spanish) that they try to preserve their culture through their native tongue and their colorful clothing.  They wear minimal clothing due to the humid climate, and they use temporary jagua tattoos to mark important events and celebrations.  To the extent that their tribe needs a source of revenue to afford basic goods, the Emberá use ecotourism as a form of educating the public and to maintain their lifestyles and culture.  Many of the Emberá offered small tokens for a price as souvenirs - bits of clothing, beads, and tattoos.  Finally, they taught us an easy version of one of their more common dances, a simple 1 - 2 step that can be seen below.  

After getting our tattoos and taking some final photos, we said goodbye to our new friends and returned to the van for the final leg our journey back to the city.  A few months later I would travel to see a different indigenous tribe of Panama that occupies an archipelago of islands off the Caribbean coast - San Blas.