Guna people
Chibchan-speaking people, Miskito |
The Guna (also spelled Kuna or Cuna) are an indigenous people of
In the
Political and social organization
In Guna Yala, each community has its own political organization, led by a saila (pronounced "sigh-lah"). The saila is customarily both the political and religious leader of the community; he memorizes songs which relate the sacred history of the people, and in turn transmits them to the people. Decisions are made in meetings held in the Onmaked Nega, or Ibeorgun Nega (Congress House or Casa de Congreso), a structure which likewise serves both political and spiritual purposes. In the Onmaked Nega, the saila sings the history, legends, and laws of the Guna, as well as administering the day-to-day political and social affairs. The saila is usually accompanied by one or more voceros who function as interpreters and counselors for the saila. Because the songs and oral history of the Guna are in a higher linguistic register with specialized vocabulary, the saila's recitation will frequently be followed by an explanation and interpretation from one of the voceros in informal Guna language.
Guna families are
Today there are 49 communities in Guna Yala. The region as a whole is governed by the Guna General Congress, which is led by three Saila Dummagan ("Great Sailas").[4]
Flag
The Guna flag was adopted after the 1925 rebellion against Panamanian suppression. Horizontal stripes have a proportion of 1:2:1 and the central
Culture
The Guna are famous for their bright
Economy
The economy of Guna Yala is based on agriculture, fishing and the manufacture of clothing with a long tradition of international trade. Plantains, coconuts, and fish form the core of the Guna diet, supplemented with imported foods, a few domestic animals, and wild game. Coconuts, called ogob [IPA: okˑɔβ] in the Guna language, and lobsters skungit [skuŋkˑit] are the most important export products. Migrant labor and the sale of molas provide other sources of income.
The Guna have a long deep rooted history of mercantilism and a longstanding tradition of selling goods through family owned venues. Most imported goods originate from Colombian, Mexican or Chinese ships and are sold in small retail stores owned by Guna people. The Guna have not excised tax when trading goods and place strong emphasis on economic success. This tradition of trade and self-determination has been credited by many as a chief reason the Guna have been able to successfully function independently compared to other indigenous groups.
Guna communities in Panama City are typically made up of migrant laborers and small business owners, although many Guna also migrate to Panama City to sell fish and agricultural products produced by their respective communities. The sale of Mola and other forms of Guna art has become a large part of the Guna peoples economy in recent years and mola vendors can be found in most cities in Panama where they are marketed to both foreigners and Hispano Panamanians. Tourism is now an important part of the economy in the Carti region, and abandoned goods from the drug trade provide occasional windfalls.
History
Guna people were living in what is now Northern Colombia and the Darién Province of Panama at the time of the Spanish invasion, and only later began to move westward towards what is now Guna Yala due to a conflict with the Spanish and other indigenous groups. Centuries before the conquest, the Gunas arrived in South America as part of a
In far-eastern Guna Yala, the community of New Caledonia is near the site where Scottish explorers tried, unsuccessfully, to establish a colony in the "New World". The bankruptcy of the expedition has been cited as one of the motivations of the 1707 Acts of Union.
There is a wide consensus regarding the migrations of Gunas from Colombia and the Darien towards what is now Guna Yala. These migrations were caused partly by wars with the Catio people, but some sources contend that they were mostly due to bad treatment by the Spanish invaders. The Guna themselves attribute their migration to Guna Yala to conflicts with the aboriginal peoples, and their migration to the islands to the excessive mosquito populations on the mainland.
During the first decades of the twentieth century, the Panamanian government attempted to suppress many of the traditional customs. This was bitterly resisted, culminating in a short-lived yet successful revolt in 1925 known as the Dule Revolution (or "people revolution") – led by Iguaibilikinya Nele Kantule of Ustupu and supported by American adventurer and part-time diplomat Richard Oglesby Marsh[8] – and a treaty in which the Panamanians agreed to give the Guna some degree of cultural autonomy.[8]
The San Blas Islands could be rendered uninhabitable by sea level rise in the late 21st century.[9]
Language
The
Spanish is also widely used, especially in education and written documents.
Health
The Guna have been shown to have a low average
Albinism
Guna people have a high incidence rate of
References
- ^ Wetter, Renate (2009). "Mola History". PANAMA MOLA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ Erice, Jesus (1985), Diccionario de la Lengua Kuna, Impresora La Nacion (INAC)
- ^ "Lenguaje – ¿Guna, kuna o cuna?: James Howe" [Language – Guna, kuna or cuna?: James Howe]. La Prensa (in Spanish). 22 February 2014.
- ^ "Nuestras Autoridades de Kuna Yala" [Our Authorities of Kuna Yala]. Comarca Kuna Yala / Congreso Generales Kunas. 12 October 2006. Archived from the original on 18 February 2007.
- ^ "Segunda parte de mi Viaje a Panamá:El Mundo de los Cunas; Capítulo I , Historia y Organización Política – El Mundo de los Cunas – Historia y Organización Política, Parte 1" [Second part of my Trip to Panama: The World of the Cunas; Chapter I, History and Political Organization – The World of the Cunas – History and Political Organization, Part 1]. paseandote por el peru...y el mundo (in Spanish). May 10, 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ Chants and Myths about Creation Archived 31 October 2005 at the Wayback Machine, from Rainforest Art. Retrieved 25 February 2006.
- ^ "Panama - Native Peoples". Flags Of The World. CRW Flags Inc. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56098-890-8.
- ^ McCleland, Jacob (12 November 2015). "Rising Sea Levels Threaten Tiny Islands Home To Indigenous Panamanians". NPR. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- PMID 9039098.
- PMID 17299579.
- ^ PMID 9759297.
- ^ PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING HELD DECEMBER 9, 1926, Smithsonian Institution, December 9, 1926,
A paper by Miss Frances Densmore discusses the music and songs of the Tule Indians of Panama - the so-called "white Indians".
- ^ Marsh, Richard Oglesby (1934). White Indians of Darien. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- ISBN 978-2-85598-488-9.
Further reading
- Alí, Maurizio. 2010: "En estado de sitio: los kuna en Urabá. Vida cotidiana de una comunidad indígena en una zona de conflicto". Universidad de Los Andes, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Departamento de Antropología. Bogotá: Uniandes. ISBN 978-958-695-531-7.
- James Howe. The Kuna Gathering: Contemporary Village Politics in Panama. Wheatmark (2002). ISBN 978-1-58736-111-1.
- Keeler, Clyde E. Secrets of the Cuna earthmother: a comparative study of ancient religions. Exposition Press, 1960.
- Erland Nordenskiöld et al. An Historical and Ethnological Survey of the Cuna Indians. AMS Press (1979). ISBN 978-0-404-15150-8.
- López, Delio; Pérez, Julio; López Archibaldo; López, Ateliano. "Igargan Cantos, la cosmovisión kuna y la biodiversidad marina. The Kuna cosmovision and their marine biodiversity." CODESTA (2007). OCLC Number 221707552. ISBN 99620007699789962000761
- Mari L. Salvador et al. The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama. University of Washington Press, 2002. ISBN 978-0-930741-60-0.
- Muller, Scott; Solis, Rogeliano; Castillo, Geodisio; Castillo, Bernal; Andreve, Jorge; Castillo, Arcadio. "Biodiversity and Tourism, The Case for the Sustainable Use of the Marine Resources of Guna Yala, Panama." German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU), 2003. https://www.cbd.int/doc/case-studies/tour/cs-tour-pa-01-en.pdf
- Joel Sherzer. Kuna Ways of Speaking: An Ethnographic Perspective. Wheatmark, 2001. ISBN 978-1-58736-030-5.
- Joel Sherzer. Verbal Art in San Blas: Kuna Culture Through Its Discourses. University of New Mexico Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-8263-1882-4.
- Joel Sherzer et al. Stories, Myths, Chants, and Songs of the Kuna Indians. University of Texas Press (2003). ISBN 978-0-292-70237-0.
- Karin Elaine Tice. Kuna Crafts, Gender, and the Global Economy. University of Texas Press (1995). ISBN 978-0-292-78137-5.
- Jorge Ventocilla et al. Plants and Animals in the Life of the Kuna. University of Texas Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-292-78726-1.
External links
- Media related to Kuna at Wikimedia Commons