Panama's Kuna Indians Welcome Tourism Amidst Tribal Traditions
3/18/93
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PANAMA'S KUNA INDIANS WELCOME TOURISM AMIDST TRIBAL TRADITIONS
KUNA YALA, Panama, March 17, 1993 -- In this International Year
of Indigenous Peoples, so proclaimed by the United Nations, eyes
are on the Kuna Indians of Panama as the independent and well-
organized tribe struggles to maintain its culture, health and
coveted natural resources. With a trademark mixture of modern
business savvy and steadfast fidelity to ancient traditions, the
Kuna have harnessed the "smokeless industry" -- tourism.
While indigenous people throughout Latin America fight for
autonomy and survival against often oppressive governments and
waves of immigrants, the Kuna have called the shots on their
territory for more than 50 years. They originally fled to
Panama's Caribbean coast 500 years ago to escape Spanish
conquistadors, and in 1938 won from the government rights to more
than 360 tiny islands, called the San Blas, and a strip of coastal
land northeast of Panama City that extends 232 miles (375 kms.) to
the Colombian border. The Kuna police and govern their territory,
called the Comarca de Kuna Yala, which is more like a separate
country than an "Indian reserve."
While the Kuna continue their traditional farming, fishing and
hunting in the Comarca, tourism has become a major money-maker.
Visitors fly from Panama City to Provenir Island, then travel by
boat to one of the nearby islets that have guest lodgings. The
inns are simple and comfortable. The largest is Hotel Anai on
Wichupwala Island. Like all the lodges on the San Blas, the Anai
is owned by a Kuna family.
Visitors to the San Blas islands get a full dose of the Kuna
culture, walking through clusters of thatch-roofed huts, while
Kuna women in traditional, colorful dress display hand-embroidered
blouses and hangings called molas. No visitor can resist buying
at least one mola, so the sale of this hand-embroidery constitutes
a major source of income.
But beyond the cultural immersion, tourists are struck by the
paradisiacal splendor of the pristine San Blas islands. Jose
Hernandez has lived with his family on one tiny island for 45
years. There are two huts at one end of the island, which is
totally free of trash. Just two feet into the clear, turquoise
sea is a coral reef alive with rainbow-hued tropical fish.
Hernandez explains that food is grown on the mainland and brought
to him and his family, along with water. While he is dressed in
western-style clothes, his wife, daughters and a female neighbor
all wear traditional clothing, including the beaded bracelets
that wrap their ankles and wrists. As he watches a tourist
exchange dollars for a piece of his wife's handiwork, he says that
the changes brought by tourism have been "very fine."
Guillermo Archibold, president of the Kuna group, PEMASKY, agrees,
adding, "Always we Kuna must fight for our political and cultural
integrity." PEMASKY was established in 1983 to manage a 148,000-
acre expanse of virgin rainforest along the southern border of the
Comarca, on the Panamanian mainland. According to Mac Chapin of
the U.S. indigenous-rights group Cultural Survival, the Kuna are
the first indigenous tribe in Latin America to set aside land as a
nature reserve.
A project center was built at Nusagandi, at the edge of the
reserve, with the idea that scientists and eco-tourists would come
to study and explore the unspoiled wilderness. But the road to
Nusagandi is difficult to navigate, so only the most intrepid of
tourists find their way. Chapin calls the ecotourism venture a
failure, blaming in part the Panamanian government. "The
government tourism agency promotes Panama's hotels, casinos,
nightlife, and shopping centers," he says. "They have never
emphasized the country's natural beauty. As a result, no tourist
infrastructure has ever been developed around natural areas."
The Panamanian government is now considering paving a road from
Nusagandi to the Caribbean coast, which would allow easier access
to the San Blas islands. Archibold agrees the road could be a
financial boon to the Kuna, but also worries that it would invite
more squatters into Kuna territory. "For 20 years, the Kuna park
has been invaded by colonists, cattle ranchers and hunters. They
indiscriminately cut trees. The road could better our lives, but
it also could be a threat to us."
A current threat to the Kuna is malnutrition. Another indigenous
nonprofit group, Fundacion Dobbo Yala, is sponsoring an
agricultural restoration project to combat the 70 percent
malnutrition rate among Kuna children and to revive fading
farming traditions in the community. "It is important that the
farmer feels he can do a better job farming, and that he can teach
others," says Geodisio Castillo, foundation president.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), which has
operated a research station on the San Blas for 23 years, will
help the Kuna assess their heavily-used marine resources,
including
lobster, conch, crab and octopus, according to STRI scientist Dr.
Ross Robertson.
Contacts: In the U.S., Mac Chapin (703/243-0230); in Panama,
Guillermo Archibold (507/82-3226); Geodisio Castillo (507/83-
0308), Ross Robertson (507/27-6014).
Gretchen Sotomayor contributed to this report from Panama.