July 7: Emberá Village

In Panamá, there are seven indigenous ethnic groups that still maintain their own language and customs, and to greater or lesser degrees, their traditional ways of life. Today we had the opportunity to visit a community of Emberá indigenous people. Most Emberá live in the dense Darien jungle close to the border of Colombia. But in 1975, a few families decided to leave and resettle closer to the capital. In part they did this because their village was so remote, it took them a week of paddling in a canoe to get out of the jungle to market to sell their goods; in part they also left because of the narco-trafficking in Colombia that was spilling over the border.
We drove about an hour out of Panama City on some very bumpy, narrow roads, then he met our Emberá guides. They helped us get in to dug out canoes (with outboard motors) and started paddling us up the river to their village. The water was clear and the vegetation on either side was lush and dense. After about an hour, we arrived at the village.

The Emberá villagers performed three traditional dances for us, and served us a delicious lunch of patacones (fried plantains) and talapia, caught right from their river. Then we browsed and bought some of their handicrafts. They make beaded jewelry, carved wooden figures, masks and woven baskets. Both their dances and their crafts reflect their culture's strong reverence and respect for nature. Finally, we headed down to the river to swim and cool off.