1-10 Embera Indians

1-11 Day 6 Fuerte Amador, Panama

Imagine you live in a forest – a rain forest – with only the things from this forest for your survival – plus from the river that runs in front of your land. It is like going back in time – approximately 600 years in fact . . . and that is what we did today on our excursion to visit the Embera Indian village.

We had a full day – leaving the ship at 8 a.m., heading off in a coach for 1 ½ hours around the city of Panama with its high rises and into the mountainous countryside. Along the way, our guide described for us what we would be experiencing today.

The Embera Indians are a proud people who maintain their traditions and lifestyle as it was before the Spaniards colonized Panama. They are the keepers of the rain forest and the Chagres River. They live in the Chagres National Park. Their main duty is to keep the Park pure and undamaged with its survival more important than their own.

When we arrived at the river, we got off the bus and got into dugout canoes – the real thing – wooden boats with wooden benches holding about 8 people max. Men from the tribe greeted us and helped us into the boats. They were wearing only loin cloths and most of their bodies were tattooed (we learned later how and why). The only modern thing was a motor at the back of the dugouts. But a man was at the front with a large pole to help guide us along the more rocky and narrow parts of the river.

The ride was glorious. It was peaceful and quiet (except for the motor!) and we saw birds and green all around us. We even saw a HUGE (12-14 foot) croc glide into the water as we went by. After about 40 minutes of going through natural beauty, we arrived at the village (by this time, the original wide river had turned into a much narrower river – in fact, before we arrived at our destination, there were tribesmen in the river where it was too shallow to go through on our own, and they helped the canoes through it by hand!). As we approached, the whole tribe came out to greet us – with greetings and music. The women were wearing colorful material for skirts and native jewelry over their bare breasts. The children were dressed like the adults – young boys with little loin cloths and young girls with just the little skirts. All were barefoot. The instruments they played were all hand-made --- a flute, drum, etc.

We gathered in their big common area (a thatched roof over a large dirt area) for an introduction from their chief and an explanation of their culture. It was fascinating. Their medical needs are met with herbs from the rain forest (we noticed there were not many old people!) Their tattoos and coloring of their skin came from a seed/plant that when boiled, produced a dark color. They use the tattoos for more than just decoration. The dark color on their already dark skins help with sunburn and bugs. The women wear a tin/silver necklace (given to them by their mothers) and are passed down from generation to generation. They get their protein from the fish they catch, and grow bananas and papaya and other fruit. That is their basic diet. They looked quite healthy. They have thick, dark beautiful hair that the women let grow long. Not sure how the men cut theirs or how they “shave.” There is no wedding ceremony, but rather they just kinda decide to be man and wife and after their agreement, that is it. If they decide they no longer want to be married, they just leave the arrangement. There is not much of that, however.

There are over 100 people in this village with 26 family units. Each family lives in a thatched roof hut above the ground with a crude wooden ladder for coming and going. The rungs are cut into only one side of the ladder, so when they are not at home or want privacy, they merely turn the ladder over so there are no rungs available! They have one larger hut for cooking. We only had time to see some of these homes – from the ground. We could see the bedding (like a hammock) with colorful material for it. Lots of roosters and hens running around on the ground.

They demonstrated their dances – they especially enjoyed doing the Monkey Dance which was mainly going around in a circle to a beat of a drum while they sang more tribal sounds. They also showed how they made their ornamental artwork (for sale!). They used different types of grasses with different ways of dying them – depending upon what color you used. There was a real skill involved because they made their designs as they went along – not “penciled in” and then gone over with appropriate colors, etc. We bought one of their artifacts that was very colorful.

As for school, the children attend a school about a 30 minute walk away for all the surrounding tribes to use – it is like a one room school house. They also are supported by some church groups in Panama who will educate some of the children and give them a home for the duration of their primary education. Some gooff to the local universities, but most return to the tribe.

They served us refreshments – pineapple, papaya, and fried plantains (a type of banana) along with tilapia they fried in a big pot over their cooking fire. They served it in a “dish” that was made of palm leaves. It was all actually delicious!

While we were there, we watched the children play. There is something so universal about children. They all laugh, cry and play in such similar ways. The little boys wrestled around with each other, the little girls held hands, giggled and ran around together. It was delightful.

While we were there, it rained off and on. When it was time to leave, the sky opened and even though we all had ponchos, we were drenched just getting from the main hut to the dugouts at the bottom of the hill on the river. It was all dirt and gravel, so the rain washed lots of mud along the path. So, shoes, socks, etc. were also very wet and muddy, but we didn't care – it was worth the experience. It rained off and on while we were in the dugouts coming back as well.

It was quite an adventure. There was a young woman from the Peace Corps who was living in this village for two years. She said she really loved being there, and that all that we would consider inconveniences actually became some of her favorite parts of the experience. While I don't think I would be up to the challenge, I was glad to be part of this world for part of a day. Happiness is relative, and while many might feel sorry for these poor Indians, they were quite happy and pleased with their lives. It was very uplifting to observe all of this.

Back on the ship, we showered and got rid of all the dirt and mud – but not the memories that will last a life time.