The Bribri Talamanca Indigenous Territory is one of the four
Costa Rican
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
indigenous territories of the
Bribri ethnic group. It borders the
Talamanca Cabecar
Talamanca Cabecar is an indigenous territory in Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, b ...
Indigenous Territory. It was created by decree in 1985
and is located in the canton of
Talamanca, Limón Province. It covers an approximate area of 43,690 hectares of a predominantly mountainous area.
Populated
It covers the communities of Chasse, Bamboo, Watsi, La Pera, Meleruk, Suretka, Shiroles, Sepecue, Mojoncito, Bajo Coen, Alto Coen, Coroma, Amubri, Soki, Kachabri, Suiri, Katsi, Dururpe, Namu Woki, Boca Uren, Alto Uren Alto Lari, Duriñak, Yorkin, Shuabb and Ak Bërie.
It is managed by the Association of Integral Development of the Bribri Indigenous Territory (ADITIBRI) which in turn is organized in different Neighborhood Councils of the different communities.
The economy is based on the cultivation of bananas, plantains, cocoa, roots, tubers, corn and fruit trees.
Features
The indigenous Bribri population constitutes one of the most numerous groups in Costa Rica, with approximately 10,000 Bribri across the country. They are also located in the
Salitre and
Cabagra
Cabagra is an indigenous territory in Costa Rica. It is located in Buenos Aires a province of Puntarenas
Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas (canton), Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the s ...
Indigenous Reserves in the
Province of Puntarenas and in the
Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve. They retain their
Bribri language (written and oral) and are engaged in agriculture, fishing, bird hunting and pig farming. Among the handmade products they make is basketry and the manufacture of musical instruments, for which they use natural elements.
They move through boats and rafts in the Sixaola riverbed, on the border with Panama. The indigenous population of Talamanca is part of the indigenous cultures of the Amazon. Its social system in the pre-Columbian era was based on the ''cacicazgo'', where a chief or
cacique
A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...
was appointed who made the decisions of the tribe.
The Bribri de Talamanca Reserve has 6,458 inhabitants in the
Sixaola river basin, with the following settlements: Sipurio, Suretka, Amubre, Sepecue (Coen), Shiroles, Bris, Katsi, Atalanta, Urén, Coroma, Yorkín (Soró Kichá), Vesta, Chase, Talía, Paraíso, Costa Rica (Sixaola), Piedra Grande, Volio (Watsi), Fields, Telire, Bordon, Concepcion de Atalanta, Akberie (Piedra Grande), Bratsi, Mojoncito, Shiroles, and Lari.
References
Bribri people
Indigenous territories of Costa Rica
{{CostaRica-geo-stub
Populated places in Limón Province
1985 establishments in Costa Rica