An afternoon with the Kunas
From Kwadule, a visit to Rio Tigre is required. A Kuna population lives in this town. The journey is made in "cayuco" with the view of incredible landscapes made by small islands that form the archipelago.
The name Kuna means the cradle for babies and comes from the believe they are the babies of God who protects them and care for them. Customs ruling this population are completely different with respect to the rest of the archipelago since each of the islands have its own norms. We find here an amazing combination of the most ancient and modern customs. They are monogamous and adultery is a crime. Their chief is the "Sahila" who have authority in the community and the "Nele" is the Chief of several communities. The houses are reed made and they sleep in hammocks. Inside, there is a peculiar combination of object, clothes and family components sharing the same room. They live out of agriculture, basically, coconut, corn, cacao and cassava, and now tourism. In each Kuna home, women make "molas". These are embroidered fabrics with bright colors that are used for clothes, pillows, pictures and other elements. They also make "minis", bracelets they knit around wrists and ankles, embroidered blouses, masks and necklaces they exhibit at every door. It seems civilization has entered in the Kunas only to the point where it does not disturb their way to understand and live their daily life.