San Blas Islands, Panama

Motel on Provenir Island

                                                                 Illegal to pick any coconut.

                                                              Restaurant on Provenir Island

                                                                  Crabs for lunch.

                                                                  Mola's for sale on Mamitupu

                                                              Typical Kuna dress

                                                                   Part of the fleet

                                                               Future male model

                                                           Lobster lunch

                                                                  Mamitupu Island

                                                    Sea turtle in a holding/growing pen

                                                              Typical Kuna yard

                                                                   Kuna houses

                                           Hole existed for turning a log to make some foodstuff

                                                         Miluna anchored just off the island

                                                            A neighboring island

                                                                    Mamitupu's sila

                                                             At the cemetary

                                                        Every day transportation

                                                                 On Eliphante

                                                         The produce seller

                                  One day these children were dropped off without any explanation

                                                                   The school

Having read articles about the San Blas Islands in Cruising World for more than 10 years I was finally going to get first hand knowledge of these enchanted islands and their people the Kuna. We checked into Provenir to clear into this self governing group of islands. The Kuna Yala or Comarca de San Blas was granted almost autonomous rule in 1938 after a violent rebellion in 1925 when the Kuna killed many Panamanian policemen and mixed blood children on the islands. Only the intervention of the U.S. prevented a bloody retribution by the armed forces of Panama. Today there are three districts each headed by an elected cacique or high chief. Each island has it's own sahila (chief, pronounced sila, like silo), the highest position on the village level. He presides over a local daily congreso to hear any complaints, suggestions and to deal with any village business.

The second island we visited is Mamitupu where we met several of the 200 or so inhabitants. One man had come to our boat selling live crabs and after we purchased them he prepared them for cooking. He was accompanied by a 10 year old girl who he said had recently lost her five brothers to some respiratory disease that apparently runs through the islands claiming many. This man's name is Rafael and he claimed the medicine cost $30 per pill any they didn't have the money to buy it. Another interesting fact is that the women of the society hold the money and are the real bosses of the clan, at least the family circle. When you ready for a picture of the colorfully dressed females they simply say "one dollar". You are welcome to take as many pictures of them as you want at "one dollar" apiece. They had many beautiful Molas for sale and I finally got to purchase some for decoration on board Miluna. We also bought fresh spiny lobsters from Rafael and as expected couldn't eat any better than that. He sold us a coconut for "one dollar" that he said we had to have to eat with the lobster and we did after shredding the meat and sprinkling it on top. We got to meet the chief of Mamitupu and he asked me to take a picture of him and make a print for him. He was one happy man when I laid that 4 x 6 in his palm, I should of said "one dollar", but I didn't, it was enough just to see how happy he was to receive the print.

Rafael took us to a neighboring island to watch a ceremony about a girl reaching the age of womanhood, I think she was 16 or so. The villagers cut her long hair to just above her shoulders as an indication of her reaching the new level. Part of the ceremony is all the village attendees drink rum, bottle after bottle, shot by shot as a woman walks around with the bottle and a glass passing it out to the women and the men pass the bottles among themselves. We watched for a while, but not knowing anyone on this island we were just tourists and were not invited into the festivities. We walked around this island and pretty much every bit of it was used for something if not built upon. We saw a school and got to take pictures through the concrete block open windows of the simple system and basic tools to educate the youngsters. We were told 50% of the young women and men leave the islands for the big cities as soon as they graduate if not before to settle there. It's probably a good thing due to the existing available space. Most people seem pretty happy and content with their simple life style and of course they have satellite TV available to keep them occupied. Sprinkled on house tops or sides are an array of dishes and antennas to receive their favorite signals. The women dress as colorfully as possible and the men don't. Gold as bracelets, neck lasses and ornaments ring shaped in the nose are very popular even on some very small children.

Magda, Tomaz and myself went on a fishing trip with Raphael and along with fishing poles we took 2 of my spear guns. Raphael dove in with the largest of the guns that shoots a 5' spear and promptly returned with a 2' Makarel. That was our only catch of the day but it was enough to feed 4 adults. On the way to the fishing grounds we stopped at the local cemetery located on the mainland about one mile from their island. Raphael showed us the grave site of his 10 year old daughter who had died from the respiratory disease which was under a simple post and beam constructed structure covered with rusty corrugated tin roofing. The walls were left open and inside a mound of dirt marked with a cross and several pieces of eating utensils and a few trinkets which Raphael said was what his daughter owned at the time of her death. We saw several such monuments under several like built buildings. Sadly nothing of great value was placed on the graves showing just how simple these folk live and how few things they own. The cemetery was on the mainland due to the lack of room on their own island so they must have an agreement with the government of Panama to use this land. These folk use anything and everything they find on the shore or floating to help in building their dwellings. Most homes are built with sticks of bamboo of 1" diameter in a vertical position tied to horizontal sticks using twine or plastic strings of various sizes, colors and quality. All the roofs I saw were thatched palm leaves that make a very nice tight roof for a while. Several of them had plastic sheets, canvas or tin at the ridge to prevent leaking. The inside of their house are dark and you have to go slow until your eyes adjust to the darker world. The floors are dirt and look swept probably on a daily basis. Hammocks are pretty popular sleeping arrangements and several are placed outside in the less stuffy air. Baths are taken in plastic tubs just outside the main entry door in most homes. The kids play in the surf at all times of the day and many of them are extremely shy. They are the most beautiful kids I've ever seen except for my own and yours. At one point Magda and Tomaz believed they were asked if they were interested in buying any of them. They couldn't be sure what they heard and declined to further the discussion with Antonio one of the village elders.

We traveled to an island named Eliphante one afternoon to use the internet by way of dinghy. It was about a 45 minute ride in open water and we had visible company most of the time with the native men and women traveling in their dugouts, some by paddle and some by sail. We landed on this small island of about 2 acres in size to find the neatest island we visited. It had 2 houses on it and a small bar with several tables scattered around the raked sandy beach. Their are several palms making most tables cooler to sit at and enjoy the peaceful life. There were around thirty sailboats anchored in the nearby lagoon with sailors from all point of the world. A very tranquil setting, no cars, horns or other noise producing instruments at all.

Well stay tuned for next installment coming soon!