African
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
, Native Panamanian, and European culture - specifically Spanish. For example, the ''tamborito'' is a Spanish dance that was blended with Native American rhythms and dance moves. Dance is a symbol of the diverse cultures that have coupled in Panama. The local folklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation.
Panamanian cuisine
Panamanian Cuisine is a mix of African, Spanish, and Native American techniques, dishes, and ingredients, reflecting its diverse population. Since Panama is a land bridge between two continents, it has a large variety of tropical fruits, vegetables and herbs that are used in native cooking.
Typical Panamanian foods are mildly flavored, without the pungency of some of Panama's Latin American and Caribbean neighbors. Common ingredients are
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
, rice, wheat flour, plantains, ''yuca'' ( cassava), beef, chicken, pork and seafood.(in Panama they call this example tortilla, because the arepas are from Colombia)
Literature
Panamanian historian and essayist Rodrigo Miró (1912–1996) cites Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés as the author of the first Panamanian literary work, the story of a character named Andrea de la Roca, which was published as part of the "Historia General y Natural de Las Indias" (1535). However, the first manifestations of literature written in Panama come from the 17th century with the title of "Llanto de Panamá a la muerte de don Enrique Enríquez" (Crying from Panama at the Death of Don Enrique Enríquez). Although this anthology was formed during the Colony, most of the poems in it were written by authors born in Panama.
Other Panamanian writers working during Spanish Colony: Mateo Rosas de Oquendo, author of an autobiographic romance; Juan de Miramontes y Zuázola, author of "Armas Antárticas" (Antarctic Weapons); Juan de Páramo y Cepeda, author of "Alteraciones del Dariel" (Dariel Alterations); and others.
During the 19th century, the romantics:
Manuel María Ayala
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
Federico Escobar Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
People with the given name Federico
Artists
* Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ.
* Federico Aguilar Alcu ...
(1861–1912) and
Rodolfo Caicedo
Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella
*Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician
* Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor a ...
José María Núñez
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
(1894–1990),
Stella Sierra Stella Sierra (5 July 1917 – 19 October 1997) was a Panamanian poet and prose writer. Her works centred mainly on love, nature and the joys of living.
Biography
Born in Aguadulce on 5 July 1917, she was placed in the care of her mother after her ...
Ofelia Hooper
Ofelia Hooper Polo (13 November 1900, in Las Minas, Herrera, Las Minas, Panama – 23 September 1981) was a Panamanian sociologist, poet, professor, researcher, and civil rights activist.
She was the daughter of Maurice Hooper and Olimpia Polo ...
Gil Blas Tejeira
Gil or GIL may refer to:
Places
* Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name
* Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran
* Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan
* Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...
Joaquín Beleño
Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim.
Given name
* Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder
* Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger
* Joaquín (footballer, born 1982), ...
Jorge Turner
Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker".
The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...
(1922), and
Tristán Solarte
Tristan or Tristram or Tristen is a given name of Welsh origin. It originates from Welsh "Drystan" influenced by the French word "triste".
It became popularized through the character of Tristan, one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian ...
(1924)
Working during the second half of the 20th century:
Tristán Solarte
Tristan or Tristram or Tristen is a given name of Welsh origin. It originates from Welsh "Drystan" influenced by the French word "triste".
It became popularized through the character of Tristan, one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian ...
(1934),
José de Jesús Martínez José de Jesús Martínez (also known as "Chuchú Martínez" or "Sergeant Chuchú") (June 8, 1929 in Managua – January 27, 1991 in Panama) was a poet, playwright, philosopher, pilot and mathematician and a former aide to General Omar Torrijos ...
José Franco José Franco may refer to:
* José Franco (artist) (1920–2009), Portuguese potter and sculptor
* José Franco (poet) (born 1931), Panama poet and diplomat
* José Antonio Franco (footballer, born 1979), Paraguayan footballer
* José Antonio Franc ...
(1931),
Elsie Alvarado de Ricord
Elsie Alvarado de Ricord (1928–2005) was a Panamanian writer, linguist, multiple winner of the Premio Ricardo Miró and first female director of the Academia Panameña de la Lengua, Panamanian Academy of Language.
Biography
Alvarado de Ricord e ...
Dimas Lidio Pitty Dimas can refer to:
*Saint Dismas, also known as Saint Dimas - the Good Thief at Jesus's crucifixion
* Dimas (surname), Greek, Portuguese and Spanish surname.
*Dimas Delgado (born 1983), Spanish footballer
* Dimas Gonçalves de Oliveira (born 1984) ...
Eric Arce
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
Rosa María Britton
Rosa María Britton (28 July 1936, Panama City – 16 July 2019, Panama City) was a Panamanian doctor and novelist.
Background and education
Her father was Cuban and her mother was Panamanian. She attended school in Panama City and her secondar ...
(1936),
Victoria Jiménez Vélez
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
Gloria Guardia
Gloria Guardia (1940 – 13 May 2019) was a Panamanian novelist, essayist and journalist whose works received recognition in Latin America, Europe, Australia and Japan. She was a Fellow at the Panamanian Academy of Letters and Associate Fellow at ...
(1940),
Dimas Lidio Pitty Dimas can refer to:
*Saint Dismas, also known as Saint Dimas - the Good Thief at Jesus's crucifixion
* Dimas (surname), Greek, Portuguese and Spanish surname.
*Dimas Delgado (born 1983), Spanish footballer
* Dimas Gonçalves de Oliveira (born 1984) ...
(1941),
Mireya Hernández
Alejandrina Mireya Luis Hernández, often referred to as Mireya (born August 25, 1967 in Camagüey) is a retired Cuban volleyball player.
Life
At the age of 10 she started playing volleyball. At 16, Mireya joined the Cuban national team for th ...
Manuel Orestes Nieto
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel
Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944), is an American former professional baseball playe ...
Ariel Barría Alvarado
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
Erika Harris
Erika Louise McLeod (now Harris; born 1981) is an alpine skier from New Zealand.
In New Zealand at the 2006 Winter Olympics
New Zealand competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
The nation sent its largest team ever to the games ...
(1963),
Rogelio Guerra Ávila
Rogelio () is a masculine Spanish given name and a variant of the first name Roger. Notable people with the name include:
* Rogelio Antonio, Jr. (born 1962), Filipino chess player
*Rogelio Armenteros (born 1994), Cuban pitcher in Major League Bas ...
(1963),
Carlos Fong
Carlos may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Carlos, Alberta, a locality
;United States
* Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County
* Carlos, Minnesota, a small city
* Carlos, West Virginia
;Elsewhere ...
Katia Chiari
Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya.
Notable people with this name
Actresses and models
*Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress
* Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant
* Katia Winter (born 1983), Swedi ...
(1969),
Porfirio Salazar Porfirio is a given name in Spanish, derived from the Greek Porphyry (''porphyrios'' "purple-clad").
It can refer to:
* Porfirio Salinas – Mexican-American artist
* Porfirio Armando Betancourt – Honduran football player
* Porfirio Barba-Jaco ...
(1970),
Javier Stanziola Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known a ...
(1971),
Carlos Oriel Wynter Melo
Carlos Oriel Wynter Melo (born 1971) is a Panamanian writer. He was born in Panama City, to an agronomist father and an architect mother. His paternal grandparents came from Jamaica at the time of the construction of the Panama Canal, while his ma ...
(1971),
José Luis Rodríguez Pittí
José Luis Rodríguez Pittí is a contemporary writer, videoartist and documentary photographer.
Biography
Rodríguez Pittí was born in Panama City on 29 March 1971. He grew up in Mexico City, Santiago de Veraguas and Panamá City. He is residen ...
Melanie Taylor
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Salvador Medina Barahona (1973),
Roberto Pérez-Franco
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
Present day Panamanian music has been influenced first by the Cuevas, Gunas or Kunas,
Teribes
The Naso or Teribe people (also Tjër Di) are an indigenous people of Panama and Costa Rica. They primarily live in northwest Panama in the Bocas del Toro Province and Naso Tjër Di Comarca. There are roughly 3,500 people who belong to the Naso t ...
, Ngöbe–Buglé and other indigenous populations, since the 16th century by the European musical traditions, especially those from the Iberian Peninsula, and then by the black population who were brought over, first as slaves from West Africa, between the 16th and 19th centuries, and then voluntarily (especially from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Martinique,
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
) to work on the Panamanian Railroad and Canal projects between the 1840s and 1914. With this heritage, Panama has a rich and diverse music history, and important contributions to Cumbia, Saloma, Pasillo, Punto, Tamborito, Mejorana, Bolero, Jazz, Salsa, Reggae, Calypso, Rock and other musical genres. Not all people in Panama choose to listen to Spanish music. Some choose to listen to something they call "soca" music. So to summarize, Panamanians are considered mixed: American, Hispanic, and from the islands.
The arts
Visual arts
Another example of Panama’s blended culture is reflected in the traditional products, such as
woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentati ...
s, ceremonial masks and pottery, as well as in its architecture, cuisine, history and festivals. In earlier times, baskets were woven for utilitarian uses, but now many villages rely almost exclusively on the baskets they produce for the people.
The Kuna people are known for ''molas'', the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman's blouse. Originally the Kuna word for blouse, the term ''mela'' now refers to the several layers of cloth varying in color that are loosely stitched closely together made using a reverse appliqué process.
The most renowned Panamanian painters are (1592–1646), (1869–1952), Alberto Dutary (1928–1997), Etanislao Arias Peña (1952–2003), Adriano Herrerabarría, Roberto Lewis,
Pablo Runyan Pablo Runyan Kelting (1925 – February 14, 2002) was a Panamanian surrealist painter who lived and worked in Madrid from 1951 until his death in 2002.
Biography
Runyan was son of a famous doctor and a mother specialized in the cultivation of b ...
and (1926–2004).
Panamanian Conte Bowl
Ancient Panamanian art has been lost throughout history; a few artifacts have been stored and saved from deterioration thanks to methods of
burial
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
or by being placed in ancient elite interments. Socio and cosmological Panamanian concepts can be learned by studying these types of ceramic pieces. This Pedestal Plate which is in Conte style is estimated to be from around A.D 600 to A.D. 800. This specific Bowl is held in a private collection and was photographed in 1991. Different interpretations can be made depending on what point of view the piece is studied. Mary W. Helms, an author on Panamanian history, studies the colors and shapes in the Conte Bowl to tell the story behind the beautiful artwork. This Conte Bowl consists of the colors black, dark red, and brown. In Helms' evaluation the color black represents a Panamanian serpent, to be more exact a boa constrictor. The Panamanian serpent can be traced back to cosmic or
mythological
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
Mayan version of rainbow serpent, commonly known in indigenous mythology. The rainbow serpent to many ancient people connects the rainbow and snake, demonstrating how important it is for life to have water. The red portion of the bowl is representing mammals; small appendages can be seen, representing the presence of life. The red and black work together to show ingenious appreciation of the mystical and the living. The brown in this piece makes its way around the appendages, glorifying the female anatomy. Museums all around North America possess many such artifacts; they encode different stories and meanings.
Nuchukana of the Kuna
The Kuna people, originally referred to as the Guna people, are natives to the land which is now known as Panama and
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. These people often have sacred rituals or traditions, one of them being the Nuchukana. Paolo Fortis writes about Nuchukanas in his 2012 book "''Kuna Art and Shamanism : An Ethnographic Approach''". Nuchukana are carved wooden human-like figures. They are used to cure people from illness or to bring back the dead. Although they are a
mythological
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
practice; these wooden figures hold a sentimental and cultural value that the Kuna people hold near to their hearts. When a person is in need a proper ritual is done involving chanting and tobacco smoking. The Nuchukana are asked to search for the cause of a person's illness. When the Nuchukana are not being used they are kept in a bundle in the house. The Kuna believe that evil spirits will be kept out of the home. For this same reason the Nuchukana figures are respected and sometimes even shown to visitors and friends. Each Nuchukana holds a story or a tale of why it was created and why it is so special. Elder Kuna respect the Nuchukana and treat them as part of the family. It is important for the Kuna to keep Nuchukana sacred—only young girls or elderly grandmothers may wash and clean Nuchukanas. It is possible for some Kuna to prefer a specific Nuchukana, making a special personal connection between a human and a wooden figure. Nuchukanas are so valuable that they are inherited from generation to generation. Once a Nuchukana wooden figure has deteriorated, it is simply tossed away, sometimes accompanied with a
chant
A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...
. Today, these Nuchukanas can be found in the rural homes of the Guna people, or in local museums that were able to take care of these objects.
Museums
The best overview of Panamanian culture is found in the Museum of the Panamanian, in Panama City. Other views can be found at the Museum of Panamanian History, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of Religious Colonial Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of the Interoceanic Canal, and the national institutes of culture and music.
A number of museums located in smaller communities throughout Panama's interior strive to preserve numerous aspects of the country's pre-Columbian, colonial and post-independence heritage. Examples include the Museum of Nationality in Los Santos, located in an original colonial home and exhibiting relics from the region’s pre-Columbian inhabitants, colonial period and nascent struggle for independence from Spain. The Herrera Museum was ranked #2 of six things to do in Chitre by Lonely Planet travelers. The two-story museum includes permanent exhibits covering the pre-Hispanic period, the region’s first mammals, and the contact between the Spanish and the natives. The main highlight of the second floor is a carefully constructed replica of the burial site of the Indian chief (Cacique) Parita.
An additional museum will soon be opening in Chitre as part of a unique tourism/residential project currently being developed. Th Cubitá Museum will explore the variety of cultural influences that have shaped the history, art and folklore of the Azuero Peninsula, and to appreciate the unique and painstakingly crafted work of local artisans.
A scholarly analysis of Panamanian Museums, their history, exhibitions and social, political and economic contexts is available in the 2011 book "Panamanian Museums and Historical Memory".