10/5 -- Visit the Embera People

Today we headed toward an indigenous community  based in Chagres National Park. The Chagres River is a key source of fresh water for the canal. The Embera had lived in the South America portion of Panama until 1975, when Columbian guerilla attempts to recruit their young men led them to move to the Latin America side of the Canal. The area where they settled became a national park in 1985, and at that time, farming in the park was outlawed, meaning the Embera needed to find another way to survive. They can still fish the river, but their primary income comes from tourism and the sale of arts and crafts.

We took motor-driven dugout canoes up the river to the village. It is home to 19 families and 108 people, up from the four families who arrived in 1975. We learned about their people and dress, and had brought school supplies, so we got to interact with their 14 students and 2 teachers. One teacher handles up to 6th grade, the other teaches 7th to 9th, after which school is no longer mandatory. In order to attend high school or college, realistically students need to  move from the village and most do not. What we saw looked like an idyllic existence for the kids, but more of a challenge for the adults.

Above and below: Our motorized dugouts. At least we didn't
have to wade to get into them.

 

Another village along the river.

We were met by musicians...

And then we went to the main meeting hall to be greeted by the
teachers. The one on the right has a 15 yr. daughter! She didn't
look older than 25.

The kids sang to us,

Then we shared our gifts. We brought flash cards to teach
numbers, shapes, and alphabet words in English. This girl
is 7 and has a solid knowledge of Spanish phonetics.

Homes visible from the school area.

The meeting hall is in the center.

Our hostess, who served for five years as chief.
She had ink tattoos on her face and wore a top
to cover her chest, but it was not bra-like. The trim
on her top is made from many coins, some quite
old. This was common among the women we saw.

Next 3 photos are from the dancing they did for
us, which we ended up joining.

 

After the dance, we explored the village and
were struck by the pay phone, which probably
doesn't work. Some time ago, they were given
solar panels, so they had electricity for a while,
but no one knows how to maintain or repair them.

Houses on stilts are common to keep out unwanted animals.

This house had a pet monkey.

 

Jim by the river as we prepared to leave.

Moms and kids swimming.

Back on the dugouts, we headed back to the bus, civilization, and traffic jams.  We walked a bit around the Fort before starting to prepare for our transfer to our ship and the canal tomorrow.

Sunset over the canal from our room.