N09deg.13.5 W078deg.01.6
This town has a hospital on it...and a nice concrete slab next to the school where the kids play basketball. The wooden back boards don't have nets...but a painted circle.
Kuna Indians have their villages on islands...the mainland is used for their crops, and along the river banks they bury their dead in their traditional way. The villages seem so crowded-they live in close proximity to each other--the wood/bamboo huts all crammed in close together. One room for cooking, another bare room for living. A small stool to sit on, and they unroll their hammocks at night to sleep. Outhouse over the water. The people have been very friendly...the women traditionally dressed. The paths are so narrow and palm roof fronds so low, we have to duck and turn sideways to get anywhere. Kuna are supposed to be the shortest people other than the pygmy, but this village has some tall men in it. On Mamitupu we were brought to the main building, the congreso, where we met the spiritual & cultural chief, or sahila. He rules the village from his hammock in the middle of the large stick building--all roofs are thatched. The benches for town people all face in toward the middle. There are 3 lower 'chiefs'--their hammocks were rolled up as they were not there. Michael and another cruiser went into their weekly meeting one early evening along with an interpreter. (They ring a bell to summon the town folk--attendance is mandatory.) It was democracy in action, with everyone having their say. It seemed like a lot of yelling and gesticulating to get their point across. The chief still got things his way! He has many duties in the overseeing of island life. He even gives or denies permission for people to travel to other islands, and doles out 'fines' for any society infractions. We pay an impuesto (tax) to have the privilege of anchoring by their island; charge is $5-10US for up to a one month stay. Kunas pay the same tax to visit other islands too.
No comments:
Post a Comment