The Kuna Indians

A Quick History

• 10,000 BC - Asian cross the Bering Strait and settle from North to South: born of the Indians.
• 4,000 BC – evidence of agriculture in Sierra Nevada (Colombia) where the oral tradition of the Kunas places their origin.
• 500 BC – evidence of pottery, statuettes, jewels in Darien, previous territory of the Kuna Indians. The Kuna population is evaluated at 500 to 600.000 souls.
• 1492 – The “outlaw” Christopher Columbus leaves Spain and De Bastidas discover Panama. The first governor, Balboa marries a Kuna Chief daughter and with the help of the Kuna community, crosses the isthmus to the Pacific. But Balboa, the good governor, is suspected of treason and is executed by the Spanish.
• 1519 – New governor Arias (“the cruel”) moves the Spanish headquarters to the Pacific coast (currently Panama la vieja) but also massacres many of the Kuna Indians living in the City. The survivors move to the mountain range in the North.
• 1787 – After several attempts of domination, the Spanish abandon the cordillera to the Kunas Indians.
• 1821 – Panama joins Colombia to declare their independence from Spain.
• 1850 – The Kuna Indians start to settle on the Caribbean coast and on some of the 370 islands.
• 1903 – Panama parts from Colombia: the Kuna Indians are faithful to Colombia and a conflict starts with Panama.
• 1915 – President Porras tries to end the Kuna resistance by establishing a governor on the eastern tip of the Kuna yala in El Porvenir. The presence of black policemen from Colon engaged in rapes, murders and repression against the traditional culture give birth to a resistance movement.
• 1925 – (Feb. 22nd) The Kunas led by Nene Kantule, proclaims the Republic of Tule: they execute policemen and half blood children. Panama prepares to send troops but the Kunas ask at the same time mediation by the US. The USS Cleveland, cruising this area, arrives in El Porvenir Feb. 27th obliging the two parts to negotiate.
• 1930 - having granted autonomy and implementation of the Kuna territory, in
• 1953 – Panama grants the Kuna Indians a legal and administrative status codified by a constitution.
• 1972 – Kuna Indians have now elected members at the General assembly of Panama.
• 1999 – A Kuna Indian is elected president of the General assembly of Panama.

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Organization and Daily Life

There are 3 “caciques” representing the 3 regions of Kuna yala and the 50,000 souls: they meet twice a year to take decision about the Comarca.

Each village as its “sahila”, the chief of the village: every evening – for 4 hours at the “congress house” - married men are invited by their Sahila to talk about daily problems of the community. Three times a week, the Sahila also invites men and women to meet to sing religious themes. The “Arcar” then translate the songs into Kuna. The whole tradition is oral. The chief are often the one who knows most of the traditional culture and can talk about it for hours. There is even a man with is stick in charge of waking up the one who would get asleep during meetings!

Caciques & sahilas are not paid by the community: they work for the good of the community; they are elected for life but can be replaced in case of mistakes.

The law is the traditional Kuna Indian one except for migration and customs regards.

The land onshore is property of the village community: each man has obligation to participate to the works in the forest (plantation, maintenance of the rivers, etc.) The islands are rarely owned by a single person, sometimes by a family, most of the time by a community.

Houses are big wood sticks or bamboo huts with palms roof: they are built by the entire community in a few days. Toilets are located in a special hut built over the sea for a “natural” evacuation. Kuna Indians sleep in hammocks.

The Kuna society is matriarchal: all money regards are women deal. A family (always monogamist) usually consists in many children: some go to school (each village has its school) some do not wish or leave too far away from the village.

Most houses have a special “parking” for the cayuco (dugout) property of the man.

Some boys who feel like are treated as girls since their childhood and grow like and with women: they are more woman than gay. They are generally the best molas makers in san Blas. See the excellent movie from Anne Marie Canavaggio “Lisa, like her”.

Fishes (smoked fish is kept thus in case of bad weather days), inland cultures (corn, roots, pineapple, mangos, etc..) , imported banana & rice are the basis of the Kuna Indians alimentation

Coconuts, lobsters, giant crabs and molas are the basis of the Kuna trading

Colombian trade boats (for coconuts), Panama City restaurants (for lobsters & crabs) and tourists (for molas) are the Kuna partners. The San Blas coconuts are known to be the best and biggest of the Caribbean: Colombian trade or buy them to elaborate products on basis of coconut (for aliments and also for beauty and sun creams) The Kunas know very well business: they charge tourists a small fee (Kuna taxes) at arrival in their land and also charge any tourist activity including sail boats chartering. This money is injected in the communities via the “congreso general Kuna” located in El Porvenir with a representation also in Panama City.

The Famous Molas

• Men do not wear anymore traditional clothes but usually just a passed tee shirt and a pair of pants: the sahilas or caciques were the traditional hat.
• Women always pay great attention to their clothing and keep the tradition alive.
• The Kuna woman wears the traditional blouse with short and baggy sleeves, cut in a very colored printed tissue, and into which, in front and behind, the extraordinary molas are integrated. The mid-long skirt (saboured) is a simple square of tissue rolled up around the waist, in more subdued color, green or dark blue with some simple motives: plse check here under the special about famous Molas.
• Women also wear the scarf (muswe) generally red and orange: to protect the short hair from the sun: when used it is folded on shoulders.
• Rolled over their arms and forearm, the “Uinnis” long strings of small pearls of colors, are individually threaded to form geometrical motifs. Arms and legs styles are a sign of beauty for the Kunas.
• Gold ring through the nose tip, gold necklaces and gold earrings are the traditional jewelries.
• The Kuna molas - presented of the world’s famous museums - are both a strong mark of tradition but also a good part of a Kuna family budget.
• From 1514, it has been reported that Kuna women bring a particular attention to their appearance: clothes, body paintings, jewelry, etc…The decorations henceforth the blouses are first noted in mid-18th century maybe by the influence of the French “Huguenots” colons. The appliqué technique dates from Victorian time, when the Kuna Indians started to establish in the islands: geometrics or inspired by daily life.
• When the North American (called “Merki”) came to San Blas to collect sand for the Panama Canal construction, the first molas with modern motifs appeared: phenomena of acculturation that will always happen as Kuna women are very curious of everything that can be a new model for their art. For example they now sometimes design on basis of cartoons, or new scene still taken in daily life like airplanes or scuba divers! Television now accessible on the village did inspirate the Kuna women: even the ninja turtles are now immortalize on Molas!

How is a mola made?

The best molas are made of 4 to 5 layers and must well sewed: tiny and regular. The general aspect is also very important: one wants to admirate the Mola at about 6 feet and appreciates the balance between colors. A traditional mola is the right size to fit the Kuna woman blouse, the “tourist” mola is any size and most of the time do not respect the appliqué: the tourist mola is made in about a week, a traditional mola takes 2 to 9 months to be finished!

still sewing and giving tips to younger women. Nevertheless, it is force to say that the nicest molas are made by the “omegit” the man-woman -we could shortly call “ gay” but who is virtually a woman-living, sewing with other women and not participating to men’ s tasks. The excellent movie from Anne Marie Canavaggio “Lisa, like her” shows the life of Lisa from Rio sidra one of “her”; Venancio Restrepo being another master in Isla maquina.

Great thanks to Michel Lecumberry aboard Txango: most of this page comes from his precious booklet “San Blas: Molas and Kuna tradition”. To know more about San Blas please visit Compasguias and www.galenfrysinger.com

The dugout called “Ulu”

The men start his day at 04:00 am and sails from 05:00 am en his way to the river to get water, to the remotes islands to get coconuts or to go fishing. The dugout “Ulu” is the only transportation from an island to another even if now motorized with outboard engines. The genuine Ulu is just carved from a trunk of hard wood with a machete. The paddle is both a regular paddle to move the boat when no wind but also the rudder when sailing.

When one paddle always on the same side, there is a technique not to just make circles: it consists in giving with the wrist an orientation to the paddle just like a rudder. Kids from 4 years old can do it: but they are Kunas and have the paternal fiber! Here are some of our best shots.