Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Emberá & Wounaan
The Emberá and Wounaan inhabit the jungle of the eastern Panamá Province and the
Darién, and although both groups distinguish themselves from one another, the differen-
ce is more linguistic than cultural. Historically, both groups have eked out a living on the
edges of the jungles through hunting, fishing, subsistence farming and rearing livestock,
though rapidly increasing deforestation has reduced the extent of their traditional lands.
Today, the majority of Emberá and Wounaan inhabit the fringes of the Darién and live
beyond the range of destruction brought forth by loggers, farmers and ranchers.
However, an increasing number of communities are turning to tourism for survival, par-
ticularly in the Canal Zone where traditional lifestyles are no longer feasible. There are
also Emberá refugees from Colombia, who fled heavy fighting in the Chaco region by
the thousands in early 2004.
A People Who Would Not Kneel: Panama, the United States and the San Blás Kuna,
by
James Howe, describes the struggles the Kuna underwent in order to gain the inde-
pendence they enjoy today.
The Naso
The Naso (Teribe) inhabit mainland Bocas del Toro and are largely confined to the
Panamanian side of the binational Parque Internacional La Amistad. Unlike other indi-
genous population groups, the Naso do not have an independent
comarca
of their own,
which has resulted in the rapid destruction of their cultural sovereignty in recent years.
Another strike against them is the tremendous tourism potential of the international park,
which has prevented the Panamanian government from coming to their aid. Today, tradi-
tional villages are rapidly disappearing throughout the region and only a few thousand
Naso remain. However, in an effort to ensure their cultural survival, a few villages have
banded together to create an ecological center near the Wekso entrance to the park, which
aims to draw more visitors to the region and employ more Naso as tourist guides.
Sports
Owing to the legacy of US occupation, baseball is the preferred pastime in Panama. This
is indeed a rarity in Latin America where
football
(soccer) is normally the national craze.
Panama has sent more players to the US big league teams than any other Central Americ-
an country.
