Ngobe-Bugle
The Ngöbe-Bugle are two of the seven tribes of indigenous peoples in Panama. As is the case for many indigenous peoples in various parts of the world, life here is very difficult. Distance from needed resources, poor nutrition and medical services, lack of education, and the loss of traditional means for generating income create a harsh environment. While attempting to maintain their cultural traditions and independence, it is also becoming necessary for this group to look at new ways to develop and maintain the services they need.
The Ngobe-Bugle are compromised of two separate ethnic-linguistic groups (The Ngobe and the Bugle). They are Panama's most numerous indigenous peoples with a population of about 180,000 Ngobes and 10,000 Bugles and they inhabit the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca which is a protected area that operates its own political system (comparable to a reservation).
The majority of the Ngobe-Bugle live in small communities or villages. They live in "chozas" or huts made of straw with dirt floors. In their farms, Ngobe men carry out an agriculture of subsistence based on slash and burn techniques and produce corn, cassava, bananas, peach palm, and some other fruits. During the coffee harvest season more than half of them migrate to work the plantations in the western part of the province.
The women are responsible for the primary care of the children and the homes. Some of them also spend their time working with various arts and create several splendid crafts. The "chacara" is a type of woven bag made by the women that displays their numerous ancestral legends, mimicing the skin and colors of their animals and the landscape of the Comarca. These bags are made using fibres from the pita and cabuya plants. I have information showing how they are made step by step if you have an interest in seeing the process.
Two other art forms created by the women are "chaquiras" - a type of beaded necklace and "naguas" which are the traditional dresses worn by the women and girls. The naguas are very colorful and beautiful and the hand-sown applique work is inspired by the jagged shapes and vivid colors of the Ngobe-Bugle mountains and forests.
further reading: http://jjerler.tripod.com/id7.html
