Indigenous People
My January trip to Panama included a visit with one of the country’s indigenous tribes, the Embera people. The community we visited, along the Chagres River, consists of 108 individuals.
The purpose of the trip was to educate tourists about Embera culture, customs and way of life. The Panamanian tribes used to live off the land. However, the government seized their lands and turned them into national parks. Tribes can no longer hunt or reap the benefits of the lush rain forest for food, bark and medicinal plants among others.
We took a large dug-out canoe, with a motor, across the river to the village. The men steering the boats wore traditional Embera clothing, consisting of very small, beaded wraps that barely covered their bodies. Women, who were waiting for us on the other side of the river, wore decorated bra-like tops and skirts; their midriffs were exposed. Little girls ran around in skirts, no tops. Boys wore skimpy loincloths. I couldn’t help but wonder: Does the tribe wear Western clothing when not entertaining tourists? I didn’t find out.
The Embera “experience” consists of several parts.
- On the drive to the river and canoes, our guide stopped at a roadside produce stand. He told us to pick out about four different fruits. When we boated over to the village, the fruit was given to the women to cut into a fruit platter.
- Tourists are then taken to open-air huts built on stilts, where we sat on benches around the perimeter. The roofs are made from tightly woven palm fronds.
- Then, in the hut, the women cooked a traditional lunch of fresh-caught tilapia and plantains, using traditional utensils. First, we were presented with the fruit platter (best mango ever!) and then we were served fish and plantains wrapped in a large leaf.
- While we ate, Jody, the woman who prepared our lunch, told us in Spanish, about the Embera culture and way of life. One of the guides translated. She also passed around native items they make and use. This presentation took about 20 minutes.
- From there, we walked up to another large hut, where the women sang and danced. The men played traditional instruments. We, the visitors, were encouraged to dance with them.
- Afterwards, eight tables of souvenirs were displayed. Items for sale included wood carvings, bracelets, woven pottery and other textiles.
Though we had a language barrier, the Embera were warm and friendly. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think: Is this the way of life they want? Or is this the way of life that the government has imposed on them? Do they have a choice? Will they starve without the income from tourists. Are they content with what they have or don’t have? Do these visits from tourists exploit them more?
Our guide said the government doesn’t offer many social services. I had questions after the visit I didn’t get a chance to ask. Who provides their health care? They live in the middle of nowhere; if someone has a medical emergency, how do they get to a hospital? Education for most Embera ends after sixth grade. What kind of future will those children have if they can’t get an education?
Beginning with Columbus, the white man’s history with indigenous peoples of the Latin Americas is horrible. If disease didn’t kill them, then the white man did in battle. The indigenous peoples’ way of life was destroyed; after all, Christians were superior to “heathens.”
Northern American history of white men and indigenous people is no better. Slowly, we are beginning to recognize that these cultures are not inferior. Treatment of the Native Americans we call Indians was and is atrocious. Before the visit with the Embera, I rolled my eyes when someone said, “It’s not Columbus Day. It’s Indigenous People Day!”
I get it now. I don’t want to feel sorry for the Embera and the six other indigenous tribes of Panama. They probably don’t want my pity. But how can one not?
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