Embera Village

Today was definitely an unexpected treat. We had a different tour guide named Juan, a well informed Panamanian who even spent some time with the natives from the Embera tribe and he knows their dialect as well as english thank goodness ;-) The day in Embera village was a far cry from the Panama city life. After a bumpy ride 1 hour ride out of the city we ended up in the Jungles off the Chagres river, a very important water source in Panama. The place where they lived is actually in a national park that is protected by the government, which means they have a permanent residence free from the fear of deforestation. The people from Embera looked different from any other population I have seen in Panama so far...and that says alot because Panama is such a melting pot of people. They wore short loin cloths made with brightly colored plastic beads they buy in the city and their skin was a tan clay colored tone, similar to the soil that was on the ground. It was kind of unreal, almost like I was in a national geographic documentary. We hiked through the muddy slopes of the mountains to a secluded waterfall were we met other travelers from different countries. After the hike to the waterfall, we made a pit stop to the main village area where the embera tribe lives. The huts were large and well made, from palm trees, I think. The villagers danced and sang for us and had a little presentation about their culture, translated by Juan our tour guide. As I looked around, I wondered how could they have proper access to health care when they live so far from the city. By appearances they looks healthy and well nourished; the children looked clean and happy, even though everyone was barefoot and barely clothed. I found out that they would travel to the city for major medical events like births or serious injuries. Other minor health care needs would be treated by the medicine man who is the oldest sage in the village. I was amazed by things they made by the natural materials they had at their disposal. They carved figurines from coconuts, and rosewood as well as amazing intricately weaved baskets and face masks. These pieces of art were their main source of income because they sell them to tourists like ourselves to survive. I found out that the government would not let them hunt for game other than fishing and they even had to ask for permission to cut down a tree! It kind of made me feel that their way of life is controlled and not organic in a sense. They did not seem to mind because the people were gracious and very warm. We were treated to a meal of fried plantains and fish, as well as bananas and the sweetest pineapple I have ever eaten. Then they performed tribal dances with drums and flutes and they even got some of us to participate. I am so thankful I got the opportunity to be in Panama to do my clinicals because it has been such a rewarding experience. Time flies by sooo fast here, I can´t believe we have less than a week left...

Tara Casimir