Cunas

ALTERNATE NAMES: Cuna-Cueva, Kuna
LOCATION: San Blas Islands (or Mulatas Archipelago), along the Gulf of Darien from Panama to the Colombian border
LANGUAGE: Cuna (Chibchan group of languages)
RELIGION: Indigenous spirit-based beliefs

INTRODUCTION

What is now Panama was inhabited by the Cuna Indians when the Spanish began exploring the Panamanian coastline early in the 16th century. It is believed that the Amerindian peoples, including the Cuna Indians, or Cunas, are descended from Central Asians who migrated across the Bering Straits some 20,000 years ago and gradually moved southwards.

The first Spanish explorer was Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1501, followed by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to America in 1502, and Diego de Nicuesa in 1509. When the expedition led by Vasco Nunez de Balboa in 1511 landed in Panama, the Cuna Indians lived on the main land. None of them was successful in establishing a colony, partly because of the hostility of the Amerindians who lived there. The Cunas were fierce warriors and fought bravely against the conquistador. Finally, Mart'n Fernández de Enciso succeeded in founding the settlement of Santa Mar'a along the western shores of the Gulf of Darién.

During the 18th century, European diseases, mainly malaria, spread among the aborigine people, decimating the Cunas. In a desperate attempt to fight malaria, the remaining population migrated to San Blas. This region is characterized by the lack of freshwater, which is an unfavorable condition for the existence of malaria because this illness is mostly transmitted from mosquitoes to humans where stagnant waters are available. Besides, the archipelago offered natural defenses against the white population.

Cunas still inhabit the 45 largest islands of the San Blas Archipelago and a group of 300 islets located on the Caribbean cost of Panama and Colombia and organize their social structure in three politically autonomous comarcas or reservations in Panama. Few Cuna villages exist in Colombia. The region as a whole is governed by the Kuna General Congress.

LOCATION AND HOMELAND

The Cuna Indians inhabit 30 or 40 islands in an archipelago of some 300 islands strung along the Gulf of Darien from Panama to the Colombian border. Some Cunas also live on Colombia's Pacific coast near the Panamanian border. The dwellers of the archipelago, sometimes referred to as the San Blas Islands or the Mulatas Archipelago, also farm along the shores of the Panamanian coastline proper, which is very close to the islands. The hinterland is jungle and has very few roads. The comparative inaccessibility of the Cuna settlements has helped them preserve their way of life.

LANGUAGE

The Cuna language is an Amerindian language, and it is classified as belonging to the Chibcha group of languages. Dulegaya is the primary language of daily life in the Cuna communities and the majority of children speak it. Spanish is commonly used, especially in education and written documents. Cuna is considered an endangered language.

Names are sacred, and naming ceremonies take place when girls and boys become teenagers. These ceremonies have an unusual feature: there is a special chanting of all available names. The parents of a child listen attentively, and when they hear a name they like they interrupt the ceremony and the choice of the name is made immediately.

Many Cunas also have Spanish names and, because the United States has been prominent in the Panama Canal Zone, some have also taken English names.

FOLKLORE

Among the first and most memorable of the Cuna to be discovered by Spanish explorers were the small population of albinos (estimated to be less than 1% the total population), most of whom lived on one island. The albinos were somewhat of an outcast group in the Cuna society, and many folktales grew up around them. For example, here is a Cuna legend reflecting the historic Cuna practice of Sun worship, which is no longer carried out today:

Inhabiting the fertile Darien region since time immemorial, the Cunas, descendents of the Sun, were blessed by the gods with a beautiful homeland, including magical lakes, rushing rivers, luxuriant jungles filled with exotic fauna and flora, and mountains where gold was stored.

Once upon a time, the Sun wanted to reward the tribe's shaman, called the nele, for his wisdom, goodness, and generosity. Appearing before the nele one afternoon at the hour of the sacrifice, the Sun offered to grant him anything he desired. Although the shaman's humility at first prevented him from making a request, the Sun repeated hi offer. The shaman, who was old and did not have long to live, resolved to ask for something that would benefit the entire tribe after he was gone.

He asked the Sun to send his own son to the Cunas, to serve as their leader. Although this was a difficult request, the Sun agreed, and after three days two beautiful blond children—a boy and a girl—appeared in the sky at dawn, surrounded by golden light, and came down to earth. The people were overjoyed and gave thanks to the Sun for this miraculous occurrence. The children were raised in a golden palace with lavish gardens, and, when grown, they were married in a festive ceremony.

Eventually, however, they were unfaithful, both to each other and to their divine origins. As punishment, the Sun turned them from divine beings into mere mortals, condemned to suffer like other human beings. However, from their first union have come the albinos, who, with their blue eyes and nearly white hair, are still considered children of the Sun. It is said that they cannot bear the light of day. The rest of the Cunas, believed to be descended from the subsequent unions of the two original children of the Sun, still consider themselves to be descendents of a god.

Although the albinos comprise a small percentage of the Cuna population, their existence caused early explorers to label the Cuna the "white Indians."

RELIGION

The Cunas have a close connection with nature and see themselves as a part of it. Every living thing has a spirit counterpart—animals, men, bodies of water, rocks, trees, and plants. The Cuna believe that what is taken from nature must be replaced in some way. The religious authority, the shaman, is in charge of dominating and controlling the spirit of the world inhabiting rocks and storms, among others. Becoming a shaman is regarded as an important vocation. Shamans may be men or women, and they perform three types of functions: curing illness in individuals, believed to be caused in most cases by the loss of one's soul; curing villages of epidemic illness; and establishing rapport with spirits, leading to the ability to predict the future. The shaman who serves the latter function is typically born into the role, but receives training, usually requiring a period of jungle isolation.

MAJOR HOLIDAYS

Most Cunas are Panamanian or Colombian citizens. Many continue to resist assimilation and do not celebrate their respective country's major national holidays. However, some Cunas have allowed and even encouraged their young people to go to the town of Colón at the mouth of the Panama Canal and receive a Western-style education. After education, most return to the islands. These Cunas speak Spanish, and in a few cases some have even learned English. While living among non-Cuna people, Cunas take part in the celebration of national holidays. These include Independence Day, celebrated in both Panama (November 5) and Colombia (July 20).

RITES OF PASSAGE

Women give birth in a special hut set aside for this purpose that men are not permitted to enter. If a girl is born, there is a joyous response on the father's part, because he is then allowed to leave the matrilineal household of his wife's family and set up his home independently with his wife and daughter. If a son is born, the father has to remain in his father-in-law's home. A father is not permitted full authority over his sons in the beginning. The father-in-law has that privilege and duty, until he considers that the young father has learned his parenting skills adequately.

Parents decide on a husband for their daughter when she is young. As she approaches adulthood, parents cut their daughter's hair, and there is a special celebration in honor of this occasion.

When a person dies, he or she is wrapped in a hammock and buried in a lonely place in the rainforest on the mainland. The husband or wife chants a song of praise and lamentation.

The large green iguana plays an important role in the Cunas' existence. According to their beliefs, this animal is in connection with spirits and Cunas use the reptile's tails and feet for making magic filters. As is stated by Cuna traditions, diseases are fought with spells, and it is the shaman of the village the person in charge of helping to cure the sick. During this process, wooden figurines—in a woman or man shape—owned by each Cuna family are pivotal for treating illnesses since the shamanistic spells are applied on them.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

The Cunas respect the different positions that family members hold and greet each other accordingly. Greetings are different when the Cunas are working or are engaged in trade. On these occasions, the men are in the background and the women are the dominant partners, and they can be very forward and even fierce. When entertaining visitors, the men stay in the background. The women play a more forthright role.

LIVING CONDITIONS

The Spaniards who first visited the gulf of Darien and the Panamanian coast found the conditions very difficult. The Cunas fiercely resisted the encroachment of Europeans.

Cuna settlements are close to the sea shore. Many of Cuna constructions were erected as palafitos—built on posts planted on the sea floor. To ascend into the palafitos, Cuna people used ladders or reed. However, the palafitos constructions were the exceptions, and most of the villages were constructed on the ground. These houses were and are quite long and can accommodate extended family units. The thatched roofs are made out of palm fronds, and the walls out of bamboo or cane. The houses of some villages are very close together, with very little space between one and another.

The Cuna are excellent sailors. They use canoes known as cayucas made from a single, hollowed-out tree trunk, usually that of a large tree. The canoes are often fitted out with sails and are well-suited for navigating the waters of the Darien between the Panamanian coast and the islands. In the forests beyond the coast, the men go on hunting expeditions on foot.

FAMILY LIFE

Extended family units and clans are held together by the female line. Many aspects of Cuna family life indicate a matriarchal society in which women play a leading role. A young married couple usually moves into the home of the woman's family until their first children are born. The Cunas are fond of their children and, although respect for elders is expected, they are not harsh in the upbringing of young children.

The Cunas keep dogs as pets.

CLOTHING

The Cunas are famous for their techniques in preparing layer upon layer of cloth, cutting out patterns, and sewing pieces on top of each other in colorful geometric patterns and lively colors including red, yellow, and black. They prepare blouses for women using this technique, and these are widely admired in both Colombia and Panama. The women also wear long, narrow skirts that are tightly wrapped around them. They use ankle bands as well as arm bands of many beaded strands. The men wear dark trousers, bright shirts, and straw hats. In many areas, Cunas wear these traditional articles of hand-crafted clothing and jewelry to complement a Western-style wardrobe.

The Cunas have golden-brown skin, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and shiny, straight black hair. Women wear striking earrings that are large, thin gold disks, rather like flaming suns.

FOOD

The Cunas grow yams, corn, and sugarcane in jungle clearings along the coastline. Their diet also includes a variety of fruits, such as plantains, bananas, and mangoes. They also drink chicha, a fermented drink prepared from sugarcane mixed with plantains, corn, and water. In Cuna family homes there are big jars where the chicha is stored. A refreshing drink, called coco de agua, is provided by the green coconut.

The Cunas also eat fish and a species of iguana. They stew sea turtle and eat rice boiled in coconut milk. Their traditional hunting weapons were spears and blow guns.

EDUCATION

The men teach their sons both hunting and fishing skills as well as how to sew their own simple garments, which include a loose-fitting shirt and trousers. The women teach their daughters how to prepare and cook food, some basic farming skills, and the elaborate sewing techniques to make their beautiful blouses, known as molas.

Some Cuna men have received a Western-style education on the Panamanian mainland. Generally, the Cunas expect the young men who have been educated to return to their island and mainland settlements.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

Music and dance are important for the Cuna. They preserve their strong cultural identity by passing down to their children accounts of their background, history, and values through stories, myths, and legends.

WORK

Work is divided in very specific ways among the Cunas. The men hunt and fish and also make their own clothes. The women make their own distinctive clothes; they cook, weave, sew, and make hammocks. The women also work as sailors and traders. For many years, visitors have been able to sail to the San Blas region from the Panamanian town of Colón. Cuna women sail in their canoes to meet tourist and trading boats to sell their goods. They are accompanied by men who do not participate in the actual trading.

The coconut palm is important in this region and was once used as a form of currency. For the modern Cuna, it provides fibers for making clothing, brooms, threads for sewing and weaving, lamp wicks, rope, and hammocks. It provides sweet coconut water for drinking and coconut milk for cooking. The coconut palm is a source of fuel. Dishes are made from coconut shells.

SPORTS

Cunas are skillful sailors and fishers, but do not consider these activities sports in the Western sense. They engage in these activities for their livelihood.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

Important occasions are celebrated with feasts, and it is considered appropriate to mark these occasions with generous amounts of food and drink.

FOLK ART, CRAFTS, AND HOBBIES

The Cunas are noted for their skills with textiles. They decorate cloth with bright geometric patterns, dye it in a variety of colors, and cut and sew several layers to make the women's blouses, known as molas. The molas are prized in Colombia and Panama. They have found their way into exhibitions of Amerindian art. Molas may also be framed and hung as works of art, or used to make cushions. These practices are generally found outside the Cuna communities. The Cunas also make beaded necklaces and woodcarvings.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

The Cunas have tried to defend their way of life for centuries, and have energetically resisted assimilation. In the 1920s, the Panamanian government decided that the Cunas were too autonomous and sent a contingent of officers to police the islands of San Blas and the surrounding coastal area in the Gulf of Darien. At that time, the jungles that stretched inland from the coast did not have a single road. The police officers were all killed by the Cunas.

Since that disastrous interaction, a more peaceful climate of coexistence has generally prevailed. There is now a Panamanian governor for the archipelago. The governor's residence is in El Porvenir, a small, clean, whitewashed town on the mainland. A few markets have been established there, where the Cuna women sell their wares to visitors. Visitors may only come to El Porvenir for the day.

On the Pacific coast of Colombian mainland near the Panamanian border where some Cunas live, there are real worries that policies to develop Colombia's Pacific coast may threaten the way of life of the Cunas there.

GENDER ISSUES

Cuna culture is matrilineal (tracing descent through the maternal line). Traditionally, women have held a powerful position in their culture. A wife holds primary decision-making responsibilities within a household. A man cannot trade or sell any article without first seeking his wife's permission. On the other hand, if she wants to sell the perfumed berry beads she has made into necklaces, or garments she has made, it is her right, and she does not have to obtain permission from anyone else. Modern Cuna women appear to have no difficulty in being assertive. This tends to confirm the view of the traditionally powerful position of Cuna women.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cobb, Charles E., Jr. "Panama: Ever at the Crossroads." National Geographic Magazine (April 1986).

Feeney, Corinne B. Arch-Isolationists, the San Blas Indians. February 1941.

Los descendientes del Sol y otras Leyendas de América. Barcelona: Editorial Labor S.A., 1986.

Marden, Luis. "The Land that Links the Americas." National Geographic Magazine (November 1941).

Reverte Coma, José Manuel. Bioetnogeografía de los indios cuna. Madrid: Ediciones del Museo Profesor Reverte Coma, 2001.

Sherzer, Joel. Stories, Myths, Chants, and Songs of the Kuna Indians. Austin: University of Texas Press: Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, 2003.

Tice, Karin E. Kuna Crafts, Gender, and the Global Economy. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.

—revised by C. Vergara