Today I wanted to share a little about the local Indian population that still lives here. They are an ancient people group that have blended with other people groups around them but have still been able to maintain their culture and languages.
The Panamian Indians Or "the indigenous " people of Panama make up about 8% of the total population of Panama. There are approximately nine tribes here. They are classified into seven different types of cultures. They are called the Kunas, Ngobe, Buglé, Emberá, Wounaan, Talamanca, Bokotas, Teribes and Cricamola. The comarca Indigegna is the official territory given to the Indigenous peoples here.
Something I think is a really neat characteristic of Boquete, Panama is the distinct presence of Indigenous peoples everywhere. They wear distinct clothing. Some of the clothing is representative of their tribes. Others have meanings through the colors and shapes that they are adorned with.
These are hand beaded necklaces done by the Choco and Ngobe Indians in Panama. The beads are made of coral, seed or plastic beads. They are called Chaquiras. They have been handcrafted here for hundreds of years, maybe longer.
This particular necklace has the characteristic shapes of triangles that represent the mountains here in Panama with the red representative of the blood shed in the early 1900's when the Spanish came to Panama. (This was told to me by the indigenous artist of this particular piece - Eliab Davis of Tienda Davis)
You can visit him here in his local shop in Boquete, in the Los Establos shopping area. He sells various different types of Indigenous art. At his store you can also find molas, jewelry, beaded works, wood works, clothing, and more. This is a mola...
and a squirrel carved out of a coconut!
This is the plaza where his store is
and this a picture in front of his store...
and a peak inside:) You can also visit our etsy shop if you can´t make it to Panama!
Below are pictures we took on a local Field Trip.
These are called the Guaca mountains by the locals...
These are petroglyphs here in Boquete, Panama.
We were only able to see two of the four today. The others are on private property and we were not able to see them.
We were told they were maps or guides that are about 1000 years old. The circular sections are pictures of mountains. The wandering lines are possible pictures of trails or local rivers .
Both of these places are great Family Friendly Field Trips! You can learn and see the hand crafted items of the indigenous and see real artifacts over 1000 years old! I hope you get to visit. I love to hear your comments if you get to go visit:)
Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the local people here:)
If your interested in a teacher giveaway or two you can find some good ones here, just click on the pictures below!
As the locals say here, "Chow":)
The Panamian Indians Or "the indigenous " people of Panama make up about 8% of the total population of Panama. There are approximately nine tribes here. They are classified into seven different types of cultures. They are called the Kunas, Ngobe, Buglé, Emberá, Wounaan, Talamanca, Bokotas, Teribes and Cricamola. The comarca Indigegna is the official territory given to the Indigenous peoples here.
Something I think is a really neat characteristic of Boquete, Panama is the distinct presence of Indigenous peoples everywhere. They wear distinct clothing. Some of the clothing is representative of their tribes. Others have meanings through the colors and shapes that they are adorned with.
These are hand beaded necklaces done by the Choco and Ngobe Indians in Panama. The beads are made of coral, seed or plastic beads. They are called Chaquiras. They have been handcrafted here for hundreds of years, maybe longer.
This particular necklace has the characteristic shapes of triangles that represent the mountains here in Panama with the red representative of the blood shed in the early 1900's when the Spanish came to Panama. (This was told to me by the indigenous artist of this particular piece - Eliab Davis of Tienda Davis)
You can visit him here in his local shop in Boquete, in the Los Establos shopping area. He sells various different types of Indigenous art. At his store you can also find molas, jewelry, beaded works, wood works, clothing, and more. This is a mola...
and a squirrel carved out of a coconut!
This is the plaza where his store is
and this a picture in front of his store...
and a peak inside:) You can also visit our etsy shop if you can´t make it to Panama!
Below are pictures we took on a local Field Trip.
These are called the Guaca mountains by the locals...
These are petroglyphs here in Boquete, Panama.
We were only able to see two of the four today. The others are on private property and we were not able to see them.
We were told they were maps or guides that are about 1000 years old. The circular sections are pictures of mountains. The wandering lines are possible pictures of trails or local rivers .
Both of these places are great Family Friendly Field Trips! You can learn and see the hand crafted items of the indigenous and see real artifacts over 1000 years old! I hope you get to visit. I love to hear your comments if you get to go visit:)
Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the local people here:)
If your interested in a teacher giveaway or two you can find some good ones here, just click on the pictures below!
As the locals say here, "Chow":)
Just found your blog through the forums. What an amazing experience it must be to travel like this with your family! WOW! I'm your newest follower and I can't wait to read about more of your adventures! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMichaela
The Center Based Classroom