This is a visit to one of the riverside villages of the Chocó, or Embera people who live along the waterways of the Darien Province of Panama. This is just one of the multiple villages along these waterways, with each village about a days walk apart. This village is like many of the Embera sites, built along the waterway, with the main hut and residential huts set back and higher up the banks. Their huts are built on stilts above the ground to avoid the critters of the forest and rainfall. These open air huts are covered with thick thatched roofs which you will see the structure of in their large community room. We'll lunch on a prepared meal of fish, fruit and plantain, all staples of the Embera.
This village has opened up to passing tour groups as they recognize the need to raise money to exist, as they use some conveniences of the modern world such as outboard motors for their dugout canoes (an interesting combination as you'll experience in the video moving up river). Though in many ways it appears they have also managed to maintain their culture and living habits as you'll see in their housing and crafts (which are also for sale as another revenue source).
The chief talked to our group via a translator, he is an elected official with a 5 year term and seemed enthusiastic to explain the details of his tribe to our visiting group. Today, the children are educated outside the village under the direction of the Panamanian government, so they have exposure to some aspects of the outside world, and one teenage I was able to talk with had fairly good English, and although he was more than familiar with modern ways, he anticipated moving back to the village when he finished his schooling outside of the village, he was studying eco-management and wanted to bring his knowledge back to the village.
Enjoy this view of one village of the Embera people of Panama and seeing that some aspect's of this native people appears to have survived the test of time.
28 авг 2024
