Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE TRADITIONAL GUNA WAY OF LIFE
Historically the Guna have lived collectively and worked cooperatively. Though some
hunting was practised,
fishing
and
subsistence agriculture
- yuca, plantain, rice, maize,
sugar cane, cocoa, fruit trees and coconuts - were the mainstay of the economy for many
years. In the late 1960s,
coconuts
accounted for seventy percent of the
comarca
's revenue,
bartered for dry goods, such as fuel, clothing and cooking oil, sold by the brightly painted
Colombian trading vessels that you still see tethered to the main jetty at communities across
the region. Over three million coconuts are still harvested annually.
Guna society
is traditionally both matrilocal (when a man marries he moves into his in-
laws' compound and works for them) and matrilineal (property is inherited down the fe-
male line). But these practices are slipping, and while women's views are respected, men
play a larger role, as chiefs, healers and interpreters in community meetings. Men under-
take most of the agricultural labour, and the entire Guna Congress is male.
Families traditionally live in compounds of cane-and-thatch dwellings, the living quarters
crammed with hammocks and the rafters laden with clothing, buckets and utensils. Villages
without aqueducts bring fresh water by canoe from the mainland. Seafood accompanied by
plantain, rice and coconut are staples, and
tule masi
- a fish stew containing boiled green
plantains, coconut and vegetables - is effectively the Guna national dish.
At the heart of community life stands
onmaked nega
(the meeting house), where villa-
gers, including children, congregate most evenings. The
saila
- usually recognizable by his
hat - is the leader in all village matters, though some communities now have several
sailas
to fulfil particular functions. A mixture of songs, chants, stories and talk filter through
the walls, as Guna history, mythology and religion are as much a part of the reunions as
information-giving, public debate and conflict resolution. Another key community building
is the
inna nega
, where the
chicha brava
(
inna
in Guna), the potent mind-numbing sugar-
cane-based homebrew, is left to ferment in large clay urns for major celebrations such as a
young girl's
puberty ritual
.
CHANGES TO GUNA SOCIETY
As in any society, Guna life is evolving: numerous communities now have piped fresh wa-
ter from the mainland; electricity (albeit limited) is available on many village-islands; ce-
ment block buildings are increasingly common; shops stock canned food, sweets and bis-
cuits, whose wrappers often litter the streets; mobile phones are mushrooming; and the
iconic Guna traditional dress is declining among women. That said,
molas
- the colourful,
embroidered, multi-layered panels that make up the most distinctive part of their traditional
blouses - are now a major source of income for the Guna.
