Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
La Amistad is also home to members of three indigenous groups: the Naso (Teribe),
Bribrí and Ngöbe-Buglé. Although these groups are still clinging to their traditional ways
of life, their numbers are dwindling fast, especially as outside influences continue to in-
vade their culture. However, in an effort to preserve their identity while simultaneously
providing a means of income, the Naso have created an ecological center at Wekso, the
former site of the infamous US-run Pana-Jungla survival school. Today, this ecotourism
project is thriving as more and more travelers discover the beauty of both the rugged wil-
derness of La Amistad and the ancestral culture of the Naso.
History
According to the colonial records of the Spanish empire, the Naso were present in main-
land Bocas del Toro when the first explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century.
The Spaniards referred to the Naso as the Teribe, or the Tjër Di (Grandmother Water) in
Naso, which is the guiding spirit that forms the backbone of their religious beliefs. The
Spaniards gradually squeezed the Naso off their lands, and drove the population to exile
in the highlands near the Costa Rican border.
Although the establishment of the modern Panamanian state has enabled the Naso to
return to their ancestral home, their survival is threatened by the lack of their own
comarca
(autonomous region). This scenario contrasts greatly with other Panamanian in-
digenous population groups such as the Kuna, the Emberá, the Wounaan and the neigh-
boring Ngöbe-Buglé. The plight of the Naso is further amplified by the fact that the tre-
mendous ecotourism potential in Parque Internacional La Amistad is at odds with a
massive hydroelectric project planned in the region. Although proposals for establishing
a
comarca
are on the table, in true Panamanian form progress is being held up by bureau-
cracy.
It is estimated that there are only a few thousand Naso remaining in Panama, the ma-
jority of whom live in Bocas del Toro Province and survive as subsistence farmers. Al-
though they remained virtually autonomous for generations, the Naso have recently star-
ted losing their cultural self-sufficiency due to missionary activity, Latino encroachment
and youth migration. Today, most Naso are bilingual (Naso and Spanish), wear Western-
style clothing and practice some form of Christianity. However, strong elements of an-
cestral Naso culture remain, especially considering that they are one of the few remain-
ing indigenous groups in the Americas to retain their traditional monarchy.
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