A 21st Century Lesson

                                    We really had no idea of what to expect yesterday when we went on our Outing in Panama. We had been here before but only passed through the Panama Canal when we transited from the Caribbean to the Pacific. What we did know was that we were going to a village peopled by “natives” and were going to have lunch there. We were hoping that we were not going to be the lunch! Remember the old cartoons where the Pith-helmeted explorers were deposited in that giant cauldron of water?  Well, after our boat ride in the alligator infested waters and being eyed up by the circling vultures overhead, we were quite relived to be greeted by a very enthusiastic party of the Emberà people who did NOT look that hungry!

What we did receive was a full-fledged encounter with an indigenous tribe of an ethnic grouping of folks that have been here for many, many, years dating back to the pre-European days. When compared to other populations, their number is quite small, less than a 100,000 spread between Northwestern Columbia and Eastern Panama. This particular village had about 35 families and 120 inhabitants.

                                    So, when I say that we visited the Emberà people and your first response is, “You visited who?”  you will be forgiven because that was ours also. I will have to admit that when confronted with situations such as this, my “What is Reality vs What is ‘Put On’ for Tourists” radar goes crazy. That’s when the ‘learning’ kicks in.     

                                    The village that we visited can only be accessed by water. There are no roads going through the rain forest/jungle and while we were not terribly far from what we would term as “civilization”, you could tell that this is exactly where these people lived and worked. This band of Emberà is closely related to the other four villages that lie on this stretch of the Rio Chagres, a small tributary that eventually flows into a larger lake, one we’ve all heard of, Gatun Lake, the one from which all of the waters that feed the Panama Canal come from. We were met at the roadside  ‘Landing” by a group of the villagers whose job it was to ferry us up the river to their Village.

We were deposited in very long thoroughly authentic dugout canoes made from some very sizable trees. The adze marks were very visible on the inside of these canoes and some modern-day materials were used when a crack needed to be taken care of, long, thin strips of aluminum were carefully tacked down all over the insides of the boats. The trip up/down the river did last much more than ten minutes, but you could see that the river was the only source of local transportation.

The Emberà have not shunned everything that modern civilization has to offer. It was explained to us that no…. they do not dress like this (you’ll see) all the time. This style of traditional clothing is reserved for special occasions and for visitors like us. To say that they were friendly would be an understatement. It felt as if the smiles were genuine, they all seemed happy enough, we watched little kids playing and being chased by parents trying to get them to wear their best formal wear. Maybe this is where the question of authenticity arises…. How much of this was a “show” put on for the “White Tourists” vs how much was it a representation of their daily lives. I suspect that until we have the opportunity to actually spend several days with the Emberà, we may never really know.

            But the signs of too much modernization were not evident. There was a single solar panel for some power and there was a satellite dish on top of the school’s roof, but after that they seemed content with trying their best to live the life of their predecessors as close to the land and water as possible.

            It was relayed to us that their school goes up to the sixth grade and after that, if they wanted, they need to travel wider for an education. The teacher comes in Monday through Friday and then leaves for the weekend. If they marry outside of their people, then they are not welcome to live with their own anymore. It did not seem to be anything vindictive; it was just a choice that could be made. Visits were allowed, just living amongst them was not.

It could definitely be surmised that they keep to their ways and shun off-village employment just by seeing the crafts/artwork that they make. Their colorful woven baskets, which require the stripping of plant materials and dyeing them, were crafted into the most beautiful baskets that we’ve seen. And they are for sale of course.

Here’s where another sign of non-modernization comes to light. As I said, the baskets are for sale. They price them according to how may days it takes them to make one. So, a 35-day basket becomes $35.00. It seemed rather inexpensive because the handiwork was magnificent. But here’s the rub. Cash only. Not that this presents a problem except in today’s reality of Cruises, where everything is pre-paid on board or with that “medallion” I’ve told you about, there is no need to carry any cash except to hand out as ‘tips’ to our guides on outings such as this. So, we had between us about twenty dollars, ten of which were already tagged for our guide and driver. They would have made a proverbial killing if they had some satellite plan for a credit card machine!

But they didn’t.

I can only guess that this is a choice (?) because they had no reason not to know that this technology is available.

We were allowed to wander around after our introduction to Emberà life given by the guy who seemed to be there “Brand Ambassador”. A speech by their ‘Chief” was to come a little later. When we roamed, we could go anywhere except their private homes.

Afterwards, fresh fruits, water, and some cooked fish (Tilapia) were served to us in traditional palm wrappings. This was all followed by an exhibition of traditional dances and music and then a Rumba in which they cajoled the visitors to join in. I felt the need to inspect the dirt outside the venue at this point but returned so that I could photograph Paula engaged in the ritual merry making.

            It was not explained until after the dance that all of the participants were now members of the Emberà and would need to be staying in the village.

            I’m sure Paula will be comfortable there.

            They eat fish and vegetables.