Heading to Puerto Corotù without my wallet, left me with nothing to worry about and provided a sense of much needed freedom.
The contrast between Panama City and the rural regions, where the Emberá live, couldn’t have been more extreme. From rooftops and fancy restaurants to a river that provides you with the needs to clean yourself and your belongings. From luxury and comfort to modesty and pride – separated by barely 50 kilometers.
Yoale and Aquiles welcomed us at Puerto Corotù and proudly showed us their world. After a mesmerizing canoe ride, we were able to refresh ourselves at a cascade before the flood of tourists arrived.
After being welcomed with music at the entrance of their village, that is proudly represented by approximately 120 people, we were able to learn about their culture, traditional dances, try some authentic food and play some football with the younger ones, that admittedly left us with some marks.
Emberá is one of the seven remaining indigenous tribes in Panama and has its own language. Teachers from Panama City are sent to teach Spanish next to Mathematics and Natural Science at their village school. Making it possible to communicate with government affiliates.
Every village has his own leader who gets elected every five years. The candidates need to have advanced knowledge about flora and fauna and especially its use for the tribe. For the election every habitant of the village has to stand behind the candidate his vote shall count for. Whoever has the longest queue behind, wins the election.
Interestingly, they have their own laws that are recognized and accepted by the government. One of it being the punishment of getting constraint for disrespecting the leader, the tribe in general and other inappropriate behavior. A punishment that is rarely to never in use, speaking for the behavior of the people in question – or is it the deterrent effect of the punishment?
Leave a Reply