Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Not surprisingly, the cornerstone of the Kuna political organization is the Ibeorkun or
community gathering house. Here, men gather nightly for heated discussions about local
events, to make decisions about important problems and to listen to the advice of chiefs.
Generally, each island has at least three chiefs and their authority is officially recognized
by the Panamanian government. Every year there are two general assemblies for repres-
entatives from all of the islands in the Comarca where major issues affecting the Kuna
are discussed.
Historically, the Kuna were matrilocal, meaning that when a man marries, he moves
into the household of his wife's parents and comes under the control of his father-in-law.
Today, this pattern is yielding to neolocality, in that newlyweds will establish residence
away from both parents. As recent as a generation ago, Kuna households had an average
size of seven to 12 people, but today households often comprise as few as five people.
The distinctive dress of the Kuna is immediately recognizable no matter where you are
in Panama. Most Kuna women continue to dress as their ancestors did. Their faces may
be adorned with a black line painted from the forehead to the tip of the nose, with a gold
ring worn through the septum. Colorful fabric is wrapped around the waist as a skirt,
topped by a short-sleeved blouse covered in brilliantly colored
molas
. The women wrap
their legs, from ankle to knee, in long strands of tiny beads, forming colorful geometric
patterns. A printed headscarf and many necklaces, rings and bracelets complete the ward-
robe. In sharp contrast to the elaborate women's wear, Kuna men have adopted Western
dress, such as shorts and sleeveless shirts.
In recent years Kuna culture has come under increasing threat of Westernization, par-
ticularly as young Kuna are drawn away from the islands and toward Panama City in
search of employment and increased opportunities. However, Kuna culture has survived
countless generations of foreign encroachment, and communities are just as committed to
preserving their identity today as they were when the Spanish first arrived.
Economy
Until the late 1990s, the district's principal currency was the coconut. (In recent years the
sale of
molas
has outpaced coconuts as the Kuna's number one revenue source.) The
Kuna are coconut barons: a good year's harvest reaches more than 30 million. Coconuts
are bartered to Colombians, whose old wooden schooners can hold 50,000 to 80,000
coconuts . In return, the Colombians provide clothing, coffee, vinegar, rice, sunglasses,
canned milk, batteries, soups and other goods.
In Colombia the coconuts are exported or used in the production of candy, gelatin cap-
sules, cookies, shampoos and other products. Colombia has many processing plants for
coconuts, but Panama, oddly, has none.
