Set in the western mountainous region of Panama, the Comarca is inhabited by two related but distinguishable indigenous groups. The Bugle people number approximately 4,000 and the Ngäbe around 120,000, making them the second largest indigenous group in Central America after the Mayans of Guatemala. They are also one of the only matrilineal groups left in the world. Both groups are part of the Chibcha language family which originally extended from Mexico to Peru.
Before Spanish arrival in 1501, the Ngäbe territory was vast. It extended from the Pacific to Caribbean oceans. Likewise, the Bugles once administered a large landmass. They populated five of Panama's current nine provinces. Since the Spanish landed on its shores, Panama has seen the Ngäbe-Bugle territory diminish to what is now a mountainous indigenous reservation.
Other than surviving (which is more than some can say), the one unexpected event these two indigenous groups have achieved took place in 1997 when one hundred years of seeking independence culminated in the creation of a nascent, semi-autonomous, territory. Since that time roads, schools, health centers, and a few economic opportunities have significantly improved the quality of life here. But if one is not careful "development" can be a double-edged sword because it sometimes brings negative cultural development along with its intended infrastructure development. For the first time ever, generations of Ngäbe-Bugle children are growing up unable to speak the language their parents speak. (for a great article by a fellow PCV on the subject of universal education and its effect on indigenous groups, see http://www.policymic.com/beta/global-affairs/keeping-cultural-identity-indigenous-education). To exacerbate the problem many young people (especially the most educated) dream of working and living outside the Comarca where material comforts abound. It is not a surprise their culture and way of life are at risk of fading into history.
Birth: A woman is "sick" when she is pregnant, a condition that is not to be mentioned, acknowledged or commented upon in casual conversation. I made this mistake a few times during my first months in site and they made for some exceptionally awkward moments. Like most poor women in the world, the women here work almost up to the day they give birth. And because of a high Child Mortality Rate (8.4/100 vs. Panama's average of 1.3/100) many children are only given a nickname for the first years of life.
Death: When an immediate family member dies, the family stays up drinking cacao (cocoa) for up to three straight nights. Following the third day, the family buries the deceased in a hole with all their belongings. While in the U.S. it is normal to wear things the dead have donned (clothing, jewelry, etc.) it is strictly prohibited here. Also, I must be careful to not show any pictures of now-dead people.
Society: The traditional unit of society is the family and their ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers. In the past century communities have developed around churches and schools. They live with an ideal of shared ownership and collective work although private ownership is becoming more popular today. Nearly all families in the Comarca survive on subsistence farming, government checks, and (rarely) on a family member working outside their community.
Gender Roles: Ngäbe women are very hard workers -carrying water, washing clothes, preparing, harvesting and cooking food and raising children is a full time job many times over. Men are also hard working. They plant the food, build houses, harvest some food, and hold almost all the leadership positions in the communities. Still, they find time to relax and sometimes get drunk on a homemade fermented corn drink called chicha fuerte.
What are they like?: People in general are shy and passive like many places in the world steeped in tradition. Not confronting each other and instead talking behind their back or withholding a difference of opinion are common practices. Long periods of silence are also normal and sometimes preferred. I have experienced far more awkward moments in the past seven months than my entire pre-PC life.
Marriage: Weddings are uncommon and when someone moves in with another they are considered married. What is considered dating in the U.S. is considered marriage here, so PCV's have to be careful because a mistake like that could jeopardize one's service. Luckily, however, finding someone near our age without five children and with a high school diploma is about as hard as finding snow here.
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