Indigenous People Of Panama
The Indigenous people of Panama are Ngöbe, Kuna, Emberá, Bugle, Wounaan, Naso Tirdi, and Bri Bri. All of these people have many things in common. They include: language, orally-transmitted culture, a shared solidarity, collective use of certain goods (such as land), a sense of belonging, cultural practices in general and practices surrounding land use, the social and political order, values, beliefs, and common rites. Panama is divided into 9 provinces, 3 comarcas, 75 districts, and 621 magistrates or corregimientos, 2 of which are also considered comarcas. The Ngöbe has 206,239 people and is the largest group in the country. They live in the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé. They are distributed across three regions: the Ñö Kribo region, the Nedrini region, and the the Kädriri region. Each of these regions was formerly a part of three provinces, Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. The Nasos live in the Bocas del Toro province which is by the Teribe river. They have a relatively small population of 3,305 people. The Nasos live in 11 communities inside La Amistad International Park. La Amistad International is along the boundary between Panama and Costa Rica. The Bri-Bri population reached 2,521 by the year 2000. The Bri-Bri live far away from the other indigenous people in Panama. This group is also the least privileged because of this. The Bri-Bri communities live by the shores of the Sixaóla and Yorkín rivers. The Bugléslive between the Comarca Ngôbe-Bugle and the Veraguas province. Its population reached 18,724 by the year 2000. Many live outside the Comarca Ngobé Buglé. The Kunas have a population of 61,707 people. They are distributed across the coastal cities of Panama and Colón. The Emberá are dialectically different but they live in the same geographic area, both outside of it and within it. They live in the districts of Cémaco and Sambú, in the boundary region with Colombia. They also live in different provinces called Darién, Panama (Chepo and San Miguelito), and Colón (Chagres river). The Emberá has a total population of 23,579 people. The Wounaan has a total population of 6,882. A minority lives inside the Comarca Emberá. A great number of people live across the Darién province in small land-based communities. Upon the creation of the Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, many Wounaan and Emberá were prohibited from this territory.
History of Panama
Panama was explored discovered and inhabited in the 16th century by the Spanish; however, in 1821 Panama broke free from Spain. After it joined the Republic of Gran Columbia which included the countries of Ecuador, Venezuela, and Nueva Granada. In 1831 the Republic of Gran Columbia dissolves, but Nueva Granada and Panama stayed joined. Nueva Granada, later, separated from Panama to become the Republic of Columbia. In 1903 Panama broke free from Columbia and became its own country.
Traditions
Important part of the the Panama cultural wealth of the country are the traditions of the seven indigenous groups of Panama. These groups are based in semi-independent territories. In these territories they maintain the cheers and celebrations of their ancestral customs. These groups of indigenous origins develop music and dance traditions which date back many years. Their most appreciated cultural contribution are their abilities as masterful craftsmen. The artful pieces produced by some of these groups are true jewels, works of a great beauty produced by an art that has its roots in the pre-Columbian times. The Molas of the Kuna, chaquiras and chácaras of the Ngäbe, the miniatures of ivory palm and the baskets of the Emberá are of an unusual beauty.
Language
The official language of Panama is Spanish. It originated in Spain. English is also commonly used, but not as frequently as Spanish.
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| The Cathedral, San Francisco de Asís Church |
Religion
85% of Panama is Roman Catholic, 15% is Protestant and 5% is other. Their religions originated from Spain, Ecuador, and Venezuela, the countries that Panama was apart of before it became it's own country.
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| Chichi |
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Tamales
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Food
The Caribbean, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cultures influence the food from Panama immensely. Tropical fruits such as: chichi with pineapple and papaya are originally from the Caribbean. Tamales are influenced from Mexico, however, they are prepared differently. In Panama tamales are filled with pork or chicken and spices. Then they are wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled. The traditional Middle East brought kebabs with pork, chicken, or beef. There is also a side of freshly steamed yucca with chimichurri type sauce.The national dish is sancocho. Sancocho is a chicken stew cooked with garlic, plaintains, yams, and other vegetables.
Clothing
The national dress for women is the pollerra. It is a long dress made of cotton. It often has bright colored embroidery on it. It is worn for parties and fancy events. The traditional clothing for men is the montuno. The montuno is a white cotton shirt with long trousers. Men also wear a traditional straw hat called a pintado. |
| A Woven Basket |
Art
Some traditional art from Panama include woven baskets, woven masks, carved tagua nut, and cocobolo carvings. The cocobolo wood comes from the rain forests of Panama. The Wounaan people make many carvings from the wood. A lot of the statues made from the wood have very intricate designs on them. The woven baskets are created from different plants that the women can easily get fibers from.
Dances
The national costume is the "Pollera" and "templeques" are hair ornaments worn by women. Men wear long-sleeved shirts, calf-high trousers, and a straw "Montuno" hat. There are popular dances, fancy dresses, dancing groups, confetti, floats, and a lot of music in the streets, ballrooms, and clubs. "El Tamborito" is the national dance in Panama.
Music
The indigenous people are known for their contribution of the mejoranera, a five-stringed guitar and the rabel, a violin with three strings. The people of Panama are have a lot of pride for their indigenous roots. They use their music to celebrate this history and the culture. Jazz is a very popular type of music today. Their musical influences today came from the surronding countries in Central and South America. Some famous performers include Lord Panama, Delicious, Two-Gun Smokey, Lady Trixie, Lord Kitty, and Lord Cobra. The most important of the music developments today are Spanish Reggae, Vallenato, and Regatone. The current music of Panama is booming and increasing in popularity. Rock en Espanol is becoming increasingly popular in all of Latin America. This music combines the traditions of Rock and Roll and Spanish Language.http://www.culturalsurvival.org/Panama+Country+Profile?gclid=CLCz6NWty7YCFcuj4Aod6EIAgg
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,MRGI,,PAN,4954ce3823,0.html
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