EMBERA
The Embera People live in the Darien of Panama and the department of Choco in Colombia. In Panama they inhabit the same areas as the Indigenous group Waounan with whom they share many cultural similarities.
The loincloth or taparabo as it is known in Panama, is still worn regularly by a few elders and on special occasions by most male villagers. The Waounan people call them guayuco and Embera call it anelia. Due to influence from some legalistic churches and modern Latino society, most villagers have traded their loincloths for pants or shorts. Many people still walk barefoot in the bush but some prefer to wear sandals. Some men enjoy wearing on their bare chests bandoliers of plastic beads.
Women are usually bare-chested, wearing only a skirt they call paruma (Uhua in Embera). Originally their skirt was made with palm fibers, but today dyed cotton fabrics are purchased in Panama where they are usually imported from South-East Asia. They cover their chests with intricate plastic bead necklaces and ornamental collars made with dozens of coins. Women also like to add a bit of red color on their faces with the natural dye of achiote. Recently lipstick has replaced achiote.
Jagua is an important fruit in the life of Embera and Waounan people. It is used as a black dye to paint people's skins. The pigment remains embedded in the skin until the external layer is naturally exfoliated, generally lasting between 10 to 12 days. It is indelible dark blue or black, like a two-week tattoo. The jagua body painting is still in use for all celebrations and is one of the most enduring and important customs for both Waounan and Embera people.
Flutes, drums, turtle shells and other percussion instruments guide the movement of dancers. People perform a variety of dances, most involving women only and some in which women and men dance together. Most are simple and easy to identify as they draw their inspiration from the movements of animals. Dances are performed during social gatherings, ceremonies and to welcome visitors in the village.
The rivers in Darien abound with fish and the locals have always been skilled anglers. Young people today are very talented with the long fishing harpoon (spear) they use standing from a dugout or walking in the current of the river. Some even dive with a spear. Hand lines with hooks are common as well, and when fishermen lack bait, they use the fruit of tree they call espave. The espave is type of nut which, once pealed, reveals a white flesh that lures fish as well as live bait.
Because of serious deforestation in the vicinity of many villages, hunting yields have dropped and people have been forced to survive more from farming. Until recently agriculture was limited to a few root crops and maize. Villages have had to adapt and learn and implement new techniques, and grow new crops in order to provide enough food. They are still learning, and agricultural training projects are under way in many areas. Fishing however remains important as a means of providing protein. In addition to traditional spearing techniques they use nets and hand lines and often you will see young boys go off at night with a flashlight, harpoon and mask and dive for the big ones.
The main crops cultivated by the people in Darien are plantains, bananas, corn, sugar cane, rice, beans, and yucca root. Unfortunately, slash and burn techniques are still in wide use and soil depletion and deforestation are problems in many areas.
Houses were traditionally built very high on stilts, up to ten feet. At those heights the house was protected from wild animals such as the feared jaguar called locally tigre (tiger), wild boar, rodents etc. It also offered protection from flooding and even from other people. Houses today are still built on stilts but not as high (the threat of invaders and jaguars is less of a concern), just a few feet of the ground to avoid the flooding of the rainy season and to prohibit the invasion of the insects that nest and congregate in the grasses. People climb into their house using a log in which they carve small steps.
further reading at: http://www.nativeplanet.org/
