MV TIDINGS OF JOY VISITS AN EMBERA VILLAGE

Tidings of Joy took a guided tour of the native village of the Embera tribe in Panama recently.  Here is their trip report:

Our wonderful guide Goran (+507 6314-0827) picked us up in front of Flamenco Marina and drove for a short, one hour drive outside the city to Chagres National Park. We watched the buildings, traffic and. noise melt into green lush trees, birds and silence. When we arrived at the parking lot, we were met by two native Embera men wearing traditional clothing. Our guide mentioned this isn’t their everyday wears but when there is a celebration, or they want to demonstrate their culture they will wear them. We walked down to a long, narrow wooden boat with single rows of seats that didn’t appear very sturdy at first glance. As we filed in one by one we were careful to walk in the middle to not tip the boat. One native man drove the outboard powered boat from the stern while the second man stood watch on the bow using a homemade wood pole as both a spear and a seat.

The river was long and somewhat shallow in spots and wrapped in green voluptuous trees. Birds flew overhead as we wound our way down the river. Our first stop was a forest where we walked on a muddy path over rocks and through streams to get to a gorgeous waterfall. Despite the water being a little chilly we all plunged in and swam to the waterfall. It felt freeing and safe and perfect. After we finished gallivanting in the water we made the trek back to our wood boat and carefully piled in. Our next stop was at the Embera village where women in traditional clothes greeted everyone individually shaking our hands and saying “welcome/bienvenido” as we walked up the slight incline towards the village. As we got closer four Embera men were standing in a line playing traditional music welcoming us. We were all seated in one of their two communal kitchens and observed two women frying up fish and plantains in a cauldron full of oil. While we waited for lunch to cook a different native woman stood in front of us and told us about their rich and vast history. We learned that the Embera tribe was not always from this area but used to reside down in the Darian region but because the boat ride full of fresh fruits to sell in the city took 7 days causing all of their food to spoil, they decided to move closer to the city. In this Embera village there are only 25 families. Each one lives in a homemade wooden house elevated 5-6 feet from the ground to prevent flooding and minimalize animal invasion. Children are taken by boat to school in a neighboring village where a teacher from the city teaches them Monday-Friday before returning to the city for the weekend. Presently, tourism is their main source of income. Each day men go out fishing and bring their catches back for the woman to prepare for the days meals. After our education about the Embera tribe we feasted on a lunch of fried fresh tilapia and fried plantains all served in a banana leaf wrapped in the shape of a bowl and a table full of fresh fruits the guides had provided. With full bellies and a lot to think about we were escorted into a large communal hut we were told was used for ceremonies and communal gathering. The locals had tables surrounding the perimeter filled with handmade crafts for sale. They wove baskets and plates and bowls along with jewelry and fabric they had created the designs for. Some of the men had wood carvings for sale of various animals and even wooden knives which Jeff decided he needed to have. After a brief lap around we all sat on wood benches and watched as the native woman performed traditional dances. Several men surrounded them playing instruments while they chanted and moved around. They even encouraged audience participation, and I sat watching as Jeff was escorted around in a circle hand and hand with a native woman teaching him their dance. All of the woman tourists were given homemade flower crowns to wear home. Embera felt like a peaceful eutopia and a wonderful pause from all of the commotion and chaos of everyday life. A tour we would highly recommend.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE!

MY TIDINGS OF JOY 🇺🇸 Jeff & Joy – DeFever 52′