KUNA

The Kuna livein three politically autonomous comarcas or reservations in Panama, and in a few small villages in Colombia. There are also communities of Kuna people in Panama City, Colón, and other cities. The greatest number of Kuna people live on small islands in the comarca of Kuna Yala. The other two Kuna comarcas in Panama are Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí.

The Kuna men wear traditional t-shirts and pants, while the women wear very colourful dresses and traditional Molas, reverse-appliqué designs on their chest. They also wear all over their arms and legs the traditional bracelets of multi colour beads called Winnis or Chaquiras in Spanish. According to their beliefs, winnis protect them from bad spirits. Women generally have their nose and ears pierced with golden rings, and have a blue vertical line painted on their foreheads made out of Jagua fruit.

The Kuna have a very high incidence rate of albinism. In Kuna mythology, Albinos were given a special place. The Kuna Albinos are considered a special race of people, and have the specific duty of defending the Moon against a "dragon" which tries to eat it on occasion...the Eclipse. Only they are allowed outside on the night of an Eclipse and use specially made bows and arrows to shoot down the dragon.

The economy of the Kuna is based on agriculture and fishing, with a long tradition of international trade. Plantains, coconuts and fish form the core of the Kuna diet, supplemented with imported foods, a few domestic animals and wild game. Coconuts, called ogob in the Kuna language, and lobsters are the most important export products, and migrant labor and the sale of molas provide other sources of income. Tourism is also an important contributor to their economy.

further reading at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuna_(people)