Guna People
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The Guna (also spelled Kuna or Cuna) are an Indigenous people of
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
and
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. Guna people live in three politically autonomous '' comarcas'' or autonomous reservations in
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
, and in a few small
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
s in
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. There are also communities of Guna people in
Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...
, Colón, and other cities. Most Guna live on small islands off the coast of the comarca of Guna Yala known as the San Blas Islands. The other two Guna comarcas in Panama are Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí. They are Guna-speaking people who once occupied the central region of what is now Panama and the neighboring San Blas Islands and still survive in marginal areas. In the Guna language, they call themselves ''Dule'' or ''Tule'', meaning "people", and the name of the language is ''Dulegaya'', literally "people-mouth". The term was in the language itself spelled ''Kuna'' prior to a 2010 orthographic reform, but the Congreso General de la Nación Gunadule since 2010 has promoted the spelling ''Guna''.


Political and social organization

In Guna Yala, each community has its own political organization, led by a ''saila'' (pronounced "sigh-lah"). The saila is customarily both the political and religious leader of the community; he memorizes songs which relate the sacred history of the people, and in turn transmits them to the people. Decisions are made in meetings held in the Onmaked Nega, or Ibeorgun Nega (Congress House or Casa de Congreso), a structure which likewise serves both political and spiritual purposes. In the Onmaked Nega, the saila sings the history, legends, and laws of the Guna, as well as administering the day-to-day political and social affairs. The saila is usually accompanied by one or more ''voceros'' who function as interpreters and counselors for the saila. Because the songs and
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
of the Guna are in a higher linguistic register with specialized vocabulary, the saila's recitation will frequently be followed by an explanation and interpretation from one of the voceros in informal Guna language. Guna families are matrilinear and matrilocal, with the groom moving to become part of the bride's family. The groom also takes the last name of the bride. Today there are 49 communities in Guna Yala. The region as a whole is governed by the Guna General Congress, which is led by three Saila Dummagan ("Great Sailas").


Flag

The Guna flag was adopted after the 1925 rebellion against Panamanian suppression. Horizontal stripes have a proportion of 1:2:1 and the central
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...
is an ancestral symbol called Naa Ukuryaa. According to one explanation, it symbolizes the four sides of the world or the origin from which peoples of the world emerged. In another explanation, it symbolises the octopus that created the world, its tentacles pointing to the four cardinal points. Also known as the flag of Guna Yala island today, the flag was used for the province of San Blas until 2010 and also is used as the Guna ethnic flag. The central stripe, meaning peace and purity, is white on the official flag of the reservation, officially adopted by Guna National Congress, while yellow stripe is used on the ethnic flag (it was introduced on the flag at about 1940). In 1942, the flag was modified with a red ring (representing the traditional Kuna nose-ring) encompassing the center of the swastika because of
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
associations; the ring was later abandoned.


Culture

The Guna are famous for their bright molas, a colorful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué. Mola panels are used to make the blouses of the Guna women's national dress, which is worn daily by many Guna women. ''Mola'' means "clothing" in the Guna language. The Guna word for a ''mola'' blouse is ''Tulemola,'' (or "dulemola") "Guna people's clothing."


Economy

The economy of Guna Yala is based on agriculture, fishing and the manufacture of clothing with a long tradition of international trade. Plantains, coconuts, and fish form the core of the Guna diet, supplemented with imported foods, a few domestic animals, and wild game.
Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s, called ''ogob'' in the Guna language, and lobsters ''skungit'' are the most important export products. Migrant labor and the sale of '' molas'' provide other sources of income. The Guna have a long deep rooted history of mercantilism and a longstanding tradition of selling goods through family owned venues. Most imported goods originate from
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n, Mexican or Chinese ships and are sold in small retail stores owned by Guna people. The Guna have not excised tax when trading goods and place strong emphasis on economic success. This tradition of trade and
self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
has been credited by many as a chief reason the Guna have been able to successfully function independently compared to other Indigenous groups. Guna communities in Panama City are typically made up of migrant laborers and small business owners, although many Guna also migrate to Panama City to sell fish and agricultural products produced by their respective communities. The sale of Mola and other forms of Guna art has become a large part of the Guna peoples economy in recent years and mola vendors can be found in most cities in Panama where they are marketed to both foreigners and Hispano Panamanians. Tourism is now an important part of the economy in the Carti region, and abandoned goods from the drug trade provide occasional windfalls.


History

Guna people were living in what is now Northern
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
and the
Darién Province Darién (, ; ) is a Provinces of Panama, province in Panama whose capital city is La Palma, Darién, La Palma. With an area of , it is located at the eastern end of the country and bordered to the north by the province of Panamá Province, Panam ...
of
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
at the time of the Spanish invasion, and only later began to move westward towards what is now Guna Yala due to a conflict with the Spanish and other Indigenous groups. Centuries before the conquest, the Gunas arrived in South America as part of a Chibchan migration moving east from Central America. At the time of the Spanish invasion, they were living in the region of Uraba and near the borders of what are now Antioquia and Caldas.
Alonso de Ojeda Alonso de Ojeda (; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He is famous for having named Venezuela, which he explored during his first two expeditions, for having been the first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao ...
and Vasco Núñez de Balboa explored the coast of Colombia in 1500 and 1501. They spent the most time in the Gulf of Urabá, where they made contact with the Gunas. In far-eastern Guna Yala, the community of New Caledonia is near the site where Scottish explorers tried, unsuccessfully, to establish a colony in the "New World". The bankruptcy of the expedition has been cited as one of the motivations of the 1707 Acts of Union. There is a wide consensus regarding the migrations of Gunas from Colombia and the Darien towards what is now Guna Yala. These migrations were caused partly by wars with the Catio people, but some sources contend that they were mostly due to bad treatment by the Spanish invaders. The Guna themselves attribute their migration to Guna Yala to conflicts with the aboriginal peoples, and their migration to the islands to the excessive mosquito populations on the mainland. During the first decades of the twentieth century, the Panamanian government attempted to suppress many of the traditional customs. This was bitterly resisted, culminating in a short-lived yet successful revolt in 1925 known as the Dule Revolution (or "people revolution") – led by Iguaibilikinya Nele Kantule of Ustupu and supported by American adventurer and part-time diplomat Richard Oglesby Marsh – and a treaty in which the Panamanians agreed to give the Guna some degree of cultural autonomy. The San Blas Islands could be rendered uninhabitable by
sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...
in the late 21st century. In early 2025, the Guna community of Gardi Sugdub was evacuated from the island to a purpose built new township on the mainland due to the rising sea-level.


Language

The Guna language is an Aboriginal language of the Chibchan family spoken by 50,000 to 70,000 people. Dulegaya is the primary language of daily life in the ''comarcas,'' and the majority of Guna children speak the language. Although it is relatively viable, Guna is considered an endangered language. Spanish is also widely used, especially in education and written documents.


Health

The Guna have been shown to have a low average
blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of Circulatory system, circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term ...
(B.P., 110/70  mm Hg), and, do not experience the age-related increase in blood pressure that is common in Western society. Death rates from
cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...
(C.V.D.) and
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
– the #1 and #2 causes of death in the U.S. – are low in the Guna. Between 2000 and 2004 in mainland Panama, for every 100,000 residents, 119 died from C.V.D. and 74 died from cancer; in contrast, per 100,000 Guna, these death rates were 8 for C.V.D. and 4 for cancer.


Albinism

Guna people have a high incidence rate of
albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...
, which led to their nickname of " White Indians" in the early 1900s. In Guna philosophy, the albinistic people (or "sipu") were given a special place and are considered a special race of people. They have the specific duty of defending the moon against a
dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
which tries to eat it on occasion during a
lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, ...
, and only they are allowed to go outside on the night of a lunar eclipse and to use specially made bows and arrows to shoot down the dragon.


See also

* Cartí Sugtupu


References


Further reading

* Alí, Maurizio. 2010:
En estado de sitio: los kuna en Urabá. Vida cotidiana de una comunidad indígena en una zona de conflicto
. Universidad de Los Andes, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Departamento de Antropología. Bogotá: Uniandes. . * James Howe. ''The Kuna Gathering: Contemporary Village Politics in Panama''. Wheatmark (2002). . * Keeler, Clyde E. ''Secrets of the Cuna earthmother: a comparative study of ancient religions''. Exposition Press, 1960. * Erland Nordenskiöld et al. ''An Historical and Ethnological Survey of the Cuna Indians''. AMS Press (1979). . * López, Delio; Pérez, Julio; López Archibaldo; López, Ateliano. "Igargan Cantos, la cosmovisión kuna y la biodiversidad marina. The Kuna cosmovision and their marine biodiversity." CODESTA (2007). OCLC Number 221707552. 9789962000761 * Mari L. Salvador et al. ''The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama''. University of Washington Press, 2002. . * Muller, Scott; Solis, Rogeliano; Castillo, Geodisio; Castillo, Bernal; Andreve, Jorge; Castillo, Arcadio. "Biodiversity and Tourism, The Case for the Sustainable Use of the Marine Resources of Guna Yala, Panama." German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU), 2003. https://www.cbd.int/doc/case-studies/tour/cs-tour-pa-01-en.pdf * Joel Sherzer. ''Kuna Ways of Speaking: An Ethnographic Perspective''. Wheatmark, 2001. . * Joel Sherzer. ''Verbal Art in San Blas: Kuna Culture Through Its Discourses''. University of New Mexico Press, 1998. . * Joel Sherzer et al. ''Stories, Myths, Chants, and Songs of the Kuna Indians''. University of Texas Press (2003). . * Stout, D. B. (1942). " San Blas Cuna Acculturation". ''Social Forces''. 21 (1): 87–90. * Karin Elaine Tice. ''Kuna Crafts, Gender, and the Global Economy''. University of Texas Press (1995). . * Jorge Ventocilla et al. ''Plants and Animals in the Life of the Kuna''. University of Texas Press, 1995. .


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guna People Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean Ethnic groups in Panama Indigenous peoples of Central America Indigenous peoples in Colombia