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49-735: The name Embera means "people". Collectively they are known as the Chocó and belong to two major groups: the Emberá , of upper Atrato and San Juan rivers , and the Wounaan of the lower San Juan River. The Emberá are also known as the Atrato, Bedea, Cholo, Darién, Dariena, Eberá, Emberak, Emperia, and Panama Emberá people. The Waunaan are also known as the Chanco, Chocama, Noanama, Noenama, Nonama, Wounaan, or Wound Meu people. A third group of Chocó are called

98-668: A collective land title of the Emberá and Wounaan peoples. The leadership structure, officially known as the Congreso General Emberá Wounaan de la Comarca, has a cacique general as its head. In addition, each district has a regional cacique, and individual communities also elect local caciques as their representatives at the annual General Congress of the Comarcá. The establishment of the Comarca conferred on

147-423: A cement foundation, with an attached, more traditional thatched-roof structure for use as a kitchen. Many now live in cinder-block houses in the typical Panamanian style, if they have the access to the resources and infrastructure to rent or build one. Historically, the Emberá people were described as having a fundamentally egalitarian social and political organization: Part of Omar Torrijos 's efforts to organize

196-407: A flatbread that stores well and can be used to absorb fluids during a meal. Some communities also farm rice, coffee, plantains and other plants as well as raise pigs, chickens and cattle for food. The men sport "bowl cut" hairstyles and, when not in towns, traditionally wear nothing but a minimal loin cloth . The women wear brightly colored cloth wrapped at the waist as a skirt. Except when in towns,

245-402: A generic term for temporary tattoos .) The jagua tattoo method involves the surface application of a dye which then sets within a few hours, staining the upper layer of skin, or epidermis. The body sloughs off this layer of skin continuously and eventually, the tattoo fades and disappears. The term "tattoo" is more commonly associated with the permanent surgical insertion of pigment underneath

294-641: A hole in the coin and run a silver chain through it. Many of the coins on these necklaces date to the 19th century and are passed down from mother to daughter. The Wuanana tribe has appeared on screen in at least two Hollywood films. The first appearance was in Roland Joffé's The Mission , in which they portrayed the Guaraní living in the Iguazu Falls region of Argentina during the Guaraní War in

343-477: A larger animal, such as a peccary or a tapir , everybody in the village shares the meat. The calabash tree is important to the Embera, who scoop out the tree's gourds for cups and bowls, as well as spoons. Apart from wild fish and game, still hunted with snares, blow guns, bows and arrows, as well as firearms, an essential part of their diet is cassava , a poisonous root which must be pressed before cooking into

392-496: A small rise, set approximately 100 feet (30 m) in from the river. Around each village, the jungle is partly cleared and replaced by banana and plantain plantations, a commercial crop for the Embera, who sell them to get cash for their outboard motors, mosquito nets, and the like. The hills leading down to the river from the villages are usually hard packed reddish clay. There are sometimes large boulders being played on by naked children. Dugout canoes are usually seen pulled up on

441-651: Is a Bible translation containing the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament titled Ãcõrẽ Be d ea, "the word of God." The following is an excerpt from the book of Matthew: Words from the Emberá language are marked in this article in parentheses and italicized. For example, woman (wẽra) or shaman (jaibaná) . The Emberá people mostly live in the Chocó department of western Colombia and in Panama. For

490-511: Is a medium size tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to oblong, 20–35 cm long, and 10–19 cm broad, glossy dark green, with an entire margin. The flowers are white, yellow, or red, with a five-lobed corolla 5–6 cm diameter. The fruit is a thick-skinned edible berry 5–8 cm diameter. Native tribes in the Amazon traditionally use the juice of the jagua fruit for body ornamentation. Certain tribes, such as

539-620: Is a species of Genipa , native to northern South America (south to Peru ), the Caribbean and southern Mexico , growing in profusion in rainforests . It is commonly called huito ; the alternate name jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca , it was known as hawa or wituq . In the British islands of the West Indies, it was called the marmalade box . It

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588-465: Is a term used by people in the body art industry to refer to a form of temporary tattoo, which is created using the juice or extract of the Genipa americana or jagua fruit. Designs created with jagua appear blue/black in color on the skin and resemble a real tattoo (henna tattoos are reddish-brown in color). Depending on a variety of factors, the stain on the skin lasts one to two weeks, fading gradually as

637-420: Is made of split black palm trunks or cana blanca (white cane), and have a kitchen built on a clay platform about three feet square; on top of this base they build a fire, supporting cooking pots over the fire with a tripod of sturdy sticks. The houses are accessed from the ground via a sloped log with deep notches for a ladder. They sometimes turn the notches face down at night in case wildlife tries to climb into

686-687: The Catío , who are also called the Embena, Epera, Eyabida, or Katio people. The Chocó, or Embera, people live in small villages of 5 to 20 houses along the banks of the rivers throughout the Chucunaque/Tuira/Balsas River watersheds in the Darien Province of Panama. There are generally three villages on each tributary that branches off from the main river system. The villages are about a half day's walk apart. They are built on

735-663: The Comarca Emberá-Wounaan , is split up into two territories surrounding two of the Darién's major river systems, the Sambú and Chucunaque . The word for river in both the Emberá and Wounaan languages is dó , noticeable in the names of many of the rivers and towns in the Chocó department of Colombia, such as the Baudó river, as well as the capital of the department itself, Quibdó . Fish (bedá) are an important staple of

784-410: The darienitas increased the access that the Emberá had to resources such as off-board motors, kerosene lamps, hunting rifles, and other modern commodities which would change their daily lives, major changes started taking place in the 1950s and 1960s. This period observed the influence of missionaries and the involvement of the revolutionary government of Omar Torrijos , who actively sought to integrate

833-427: The jira bark as flooring, and durable aluminum roofing in place of palm leaves. Due to living in settled communities with other unrelated people, walls have become more common for added privacy, whereas walls were historically very uncommon. Propane stoves often replace or complement the traditional cooking fire. Some contemporary Emberá houses have both a larger structure of wooden floors and walls with metal roofing on

882-585: The 18th century. Later they portrayed the Taíno and Carib in Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise , a film about Columbus' arrival in the Americas. The tribe performed alongside such notable actors as Robert De Niro , Jeremy Irons , Liam Neeson and Gérard Depardieu , as well as Sigourney Weaver , Armand Assante, Frank Langela, Ray McNally, and others. Despite portraying other indigenous peoples,

931-410: The Darién in large numbers, effecting demographic shifts and an unprecedented scale of logging and deforestation for the purpose of establishing cattle ranches. It also shifted the economic and political centers of the province from the coastal darienita cities to the new towns being established along the highway by these settlers. Historically, the Emberá lived in a dispersed settlement pattern along

980-455: The Emberá diet along with plantains (patá) , and rivers play a central role in daily life for fishing, bathing, transport, and many domestic chores. Boats have also played important roles in Emberá tradition and cosmology. The craft of constructing dugout canoes (hampá) was historically a very significant skill for Emberá men, at times serving as a rite of passage or prerequisite for marriage according to oral history. Ethnographic records detail

1029-551: The Emberá would live along the rivers downstream. This historical trend is still reflected in the current regional demographics; many port towns have retained their darienita identity, such as La Palma , Yaviza and Garachine , while many contemporary Emberá towns are found downstream along the rivers. Panama seceded from the Republic of Colombia , achieving its independence in 1903. However, Eastern Panama still remained isolated and undeveloped during this time. While trade with

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1078-520: The Matses Indians of Peru also insert it underneath the skin to create permanent markings on the body. Additionally, the fruit is used for a host of purported medicinal purposes. Peoples known to use the jagua fruit (currently or in the past) include: The Zapara , Shuar , Tsachila , Emberá-Wounaan , Yucuna , Kuna , Yuqui , Ticuna , Yagua , Arakmbut , Ka'apor , Canelos-Quichua , Amazonian Kichwas and Shipibo-Conibo . "Jagua tattoo"

1127-641: The Panamanian Emberá, the Chocó and its river systems remain their ancestral homelands, and the different dialects of the Emberá language still mostly correspond to different parts of that area and its river systems. In the late 1700s, the Emberá began migrating from the Choco region to modern-day Colombia to what is currently the Darién province of Panama, which had been home to the Tule or Kuna people at

1176-541: The Panamanian or Colombian governments. As they are not assimilated into Panamanian or Colombian society, the Embera people do not hold any civic positions and have no members who have become part of the Guardia Nacional in Panama. Healthcare is primarily provided by trained shamans . The land is owned and farmed by the community. Everyone in the village pitches in to work at harvest time. If one hunter gets

1225-565: The Wounaan speak their own language in both films. The most notable members of the tribe to act were: Other unnamed members of the tribe can be seen acting in both films. Another film in which the Wounaan played other tribal peoples is The End of the Spear , which tells the story of four missionaries in Ecuador. Due to the difficulty of reaching the location where the events truly took place,

1274-515: The application of an extract of the fruit Genipa americana , also known as jagua . This fruit has been used for body ornamentation and medicinal purposes in many areas of South America for centuries. It has recently been introduced in North America and Europe as an addition to henna body art, also called mehendi , mehandi, or mehndi in India . (The term "henna tattoo" is often used as

1323-423: The berry of a species of genip tree. The black dye is thought to repel insects and the designs are known as jagua tattoos . On special occasions, using this same dye, they print intricate geometric patterns all over their bodies, using wood blocks carved from balsa wood. The women also wear silver necklaces and silver earrings on these special occasions; many of the necklaces being made of old silver coins. They punch

1372-515: The central province of Panamá, and over 25% of the total Panamanian Emberá population reside in urban districts of Panama City. The Emberá like some other indigenous tribes in Latin America are known to practice female genital mutilation (FGM). The tradition was extremely secretive and taboo until a 2007 incident, in which a girl died as a result of FGM. The incident caused much controversy, raised awareness and stimulated debate about ending

1421-495: The construction of the Pan-American highway into the province as far as Yaviza. Before the creation of the highway, the dominant if not exclusive mode of trade and transportation between Panama City and the Darién was by boat. The construction of this highway through a previously untraversable terrain had a number of significant effects. Farmers from the interior of the country, often called interioranos, began to migrate into

1470-512: The context in which it is used. There are approximately 33,000 people living in Panama and 50,000 in Colombia who identify as Emberá. The Emberá language is not a single language but a group of mutually-intelligible languages spoken throughout Panamá and Colombia. Along with Wounmeu , they are the only extant members of the Chocó language family and not known to be related to any other language family of Central or South America, although in

1519-533: The establishment of a comarca indigena , or autonomous territory, for the Emberá within the Darién province. in November 1983, the National Assembly of Panama ratified the ley 22 , establishing the Comarca Emberá-Wounaan , a territory of 4383.5 km encompassing two non-contiguous districts, Sambú and Cemaco, whose capital is the town of Unión Chocó . The law established the territory under

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1568-458: The filming was done in Panama. The Wounaan actors learned how to use the weapons of the original tribe. Ember%C3%A1 people The Emberá listen , also known in the historical literature as the Chocó or Katío Indians are an Indigenous people of Panama and Colombia . In the Emberá languages , the word ẽberá can be used to mean person, man, or indigenous person, depending on

1617-543: The first settlements of Emberá communities. Accounts also exist of a foreigner known by his nickname "Perú," a mysterious and legendary figure who tried to convince the Emberá to settle into colonies. By the late 1960s, the government of Omar Torrijos was promoting the settlement of the Darién Emberá into communities; the first formal establishment of an Emberá town was in 1963 along the Rio Balsas river. In 1985, it

1666-530: The form of typical Emberá housing is actively going through a period of change. A traditional Emberá house can be described as an open-air dwelling raised 6–12 feet off the ground on stilts with thatched roofing made from palm leaves (often, but not exclusively, Sabal mauritiiformis ) and flooring made from the bark of the jira palm (épa) . These houses were typically round in shape and large enough to hold members of an extended family group. Logs with notches cut in them ( domé ) were used as ladders to enter/exit

1715-571: The house while they sleep. The Chocó people use matrilineal descent, practice polygamy and live in family units. The cacique , or chief, of the Chocó lives in the largest village and capital of the Chocó Nation, named Unión Chocó . The city is on the banks of the Tuira River . The Chocó have their own form of government and live by their own set of unwritten rules. They avoid dealing with Panamanian National Police or any other branch of

1764-481: The house, and could be turned with the notches facing inwards to signal that people were busy, not home, or to keep animals from climbing into the house. The space under the house would be used as a dry space to carry out domestic chores or keep animals. Contemporary Emberá housing style often employs many of the traditional materials and styles. However, they may often be smaller due to a comparatively smaller number of family members per house. Wooden boards often replace

1813-488: The indigenous people of the Darién was through the establishment of the first National Indian Congress in 1968. The Emberá were encouraged to self-organize and form political leadership in the same way the Guna people had done, and a Guna chief was even appointed to aid them in the process. Throughout the 1970s, more and more Emberá families continued settling into communities and towns. By 1980, discussions were taking place about

1862-418: The indigenous population legal protection of their land from the encroachment of Latino cattle-ranchers, as well as a certain degree of self-governance. [REDACTED] Africa [REDACTED] Eurasia [REDACTED] North America [REDACTED] Oceania [REDACTED] South America Jagua tattoo Jagua tattoo is a temporary form of skin decoration resulting from

1911-403: The indigenous population of Darién into Panamanian society by encouraging them to settle into communities for access to government-sponsored services such as schools and health centers. This initiated the transition of the Emberá people, who until that time had lived dispersed in small family units throughout the rainforest, into settled communities. The Darién province changed dramatically with

1960-498: The past relationships have been proposed with the Carib , Arawak , and Chibchan language families. An established Emberá alphabet has been officially recognized by the government of Panama, consisting of: To date, there have been very few books published in the Emberá language. These are mostly educational materials produced by Panama's education ministry (MEDUCA) or by Christian missionaries. The most significant of these to date

2009-501: The practice altogether. In 2015, it was reported that of the approximately 250,000 members of the tribe, 25,000 (10%) had decided to discontinue FGM, with a community leader saying they hoped to eradicate it by 2030. The Emberá are a riverine people, historically building their houses along the banks of rivers. Although now most all Emberá people live in villages, towns, or urban centers, many established Emberá communities are still found along riverbanks. The designated autonomous region,

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2058-442: The river systems of Panamá and Colombia. Since the 1960s, the majority of Emberá have transitioned to settled communities and urban areas. Herlihy describes the pre-1950s settlement pattern: The Emberá began forming the first small villages in the 1950s, in what has been described as a "slow, almost evolutionary process." Economic considerations, Western influence, and the presence of religious missionaries were influential factors in

2107-439: The riverbanks. The Embera houses are raised off the ground about eight feet. They are set about 20–50 feet (6–15 m) apart, stand on large posts set in the ground, and have thatched roofs made from palm fronds. All the joinery is with bejuco vines. There are no walls, as the roof is tall. Hanging from the supporting posts and beams are hammocks, baskets, pots, bows and arrows, mosquito nets, clothing and other items. The floor

2156-521: The riverine areas of what would become the Canal Zone . During the 19th century, during which it was part of the Gran Republica de Colombia, the Darién was inhabited almost exclusively by the indigenous Emberá and Guna peoples along with the descendants of escaped African slaves , known as darienitas or libres . Typically, darienitas settled in port towns at the mouths of rivers while

2205-426: The skin, as opposed to pigments applied to the skin's surface. Both mehndi (henna) and jagua tattoos stain the top skin layer. In the case of jagua the color develops and darkens over several days until blue-black. While henna tattoos are associated with Indian, African, and Middle Eastern cultures, jagua body art was invented by circum-Caribbean tribes and indigenous peoples of the Amazon region. Genipa americana

2254-641: The time of European contact. This migration was prompted by the Spanish, and took the form of a conflict between the Emberá and the Kuna, moving the latter into the lands along the Caribbean coast which now form the Comarca Guna Yala and San Blas Islands . The Darién has subsequently become recognized as the homelands of the Emberá in Panama, though they had also settled as far west as Lake Gatún and

2303-487: The ways in which boats take on an anthropomorphic character in the Emberá language and philosophy, and traditionally people were even buried in canoes. Anthropologists have written about how central rivers are to the worldview of both the Emberá and the Wounaan, a closely related group of people who, while having a distinct history and belief system from the Emberá, share much with them linguistically, historically, and culturally. In addition to changes in settlement patterns,

2352-403: The women traditionally do not cover their torsos, and wear long, straight black hair. The children go naked until puberty, and traditionally no one wore shoes. However, traditional clothing is being replaced in some areas with western, manufactured clothing and shoes. In some communities, children attend schools requiring uniforms. They paint their bodies with a dye made from Genipa americana ,

2401-463: Was estimated that 25 percent of Emberá people in Panamá still lived according to the traditional dispersed settlement pattern. However, life in settled communities is now considered the norm, or "typical" of most Emberá. In addition to these settled communities, many Emberá now also live in urban areas. According to the 2010 Panamanian National Census, over one third of Panamanian Emberá people live in

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