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The Embera–Wounaan are a semi-nomadic indigenous people in
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
living in
Darién Province Darién (, , ) is a province in Panama whose capital city is 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 and the region of Kuna Yala. To the south, it is border ...
on the shores of the Chucunaque,
Sambú Sambú is a corregimiento in Chepigana District, Darién Province, Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of ...
,
Tuira River The Tuira River is located in the Darién Province of eastern Panama. It flows into the Bay of San Miguel at the province capital of La Palma. It is the largest river in Panama, and one of its tributaries, the Chucunaque River, is the longest ...
s and its waterways. The Embera-Wounaan were formerly and widely known by the name Chocó, and they speak the Embera and
Wounaan language The Wounaan language, also known as Noanamá and Woun Meu, is a Chocoan language, with around 10,000 speakers on the border between Panama and Colombia. Phonology The following tables show the vowel and consonant sounds of Wounann, transcribe ...
s, part of the Choco language family.


Name

The name ''Embera'' means "people". Collectively they are known as the Chocó and belong to two major groups: the Emberá, of upper
Atrato Atrato is a municipality and town in the Chocó Department near the Pacific Ocean, Colombia. Climate Atrato has an extremely wet tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a trop ...
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 the Catío, who are also called the Embena, Epera, Eyabida, or Katio people."Chocó."
''Countries and Their Cultures.'' (retrieved 23 Feb 2011)


Housing

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 a small rise, set approximately in from the river. The houses of the village are set about apart atop the rise on posts, with no walls, but only tall thatched roofs. Around each village, the jungle is partly cleared and replaced by
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
and
plantain Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...
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 the riverbanks. The Embera houses are raised off the ground about eight feet. The houses stand on large posts set in the ground, and have thatched roof made from palm fronds. All the
joiner A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...
y is with bejuco vines. There are no walls. Hanging from the supporting posts and beams are hammocks, baskets, pots, bows and arrows, mosquito nets, clothing and other items. The floor 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 if some animal is trying to climb into the house while they sleep.


Society

The Chocó people use matrilineal descent, practice polygamy and live in family units. The
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 ...
, or chief, of the Chocó lived in the largest village and capitol of the Chocó Nation, named
Unión Chocó Unión Chocó () is a town in the Panamanian indigenous territory (''comarca indígena'') of Emberá. It is located in, and is the capital of, Cémaco District. Omar Torrijos designated the land for the villgae in 1969, and the first houses were ...
. The city is on the banks of the
Tuira River The Tuira River is located in the Darién Province of eastern Panama. It flows into the Bay of San Miguel at the province capital of La Palma. It is the largest river in Panama, and one of its tributaries, the Chucunaque River, is the longest ...
. The Chocó have their own form of government and live by their own set of unwritten rules. They avoid relying on the
Panamanian National Police The National Police of Panama ( es, Polícia Nacional de Panamá) is a civilian governmental body associated with the Panamanian Public Forces. Established by the National Police Act No. 18 of June 3, 1997, it is responsible for maintaining publi ...
or any other branch of the Panamanian or Colombian governments. 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. Health care is primarily provided by trained
shamans Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
. The Chocó do not intermarry with other Panamanians and Colombians. The land is community owned and community farmed. Everyone in the village pitches in to work at harvest time. If one hunter gets a larger animal, such as a
peccary A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North A ...
or a
tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...
, everybody in the village shares the meat.


Economy

The
calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...
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 ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
, a poisonous root which must be pressed before cooking into a flatbread that stores well and can be used to absorb fluids during a meal.


Appearance

The men sport "bowl cut" hairstyles and, when not in towns, wear nothing but a minimal
loin cloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...
. The women wear brightly colored cloth wrapped at the waist as a skirt. Except when in towns, the women do not cover their torsos, and wear long, straight black hair. The children go naked until puberty, and no one wears shoes. They paint their bodies with a dye made from ''
Genipa americana ''Genipa americana'' () is a species of trees in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of North and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Description ''Genipa americana'' trees are up to 30 m tall and up to 60 cm ...
'', the berry of a species of genip tree. The black dye is thought to repel insects and the designs are known as
jagua tattoo Jagua tattoo is a temporary form of skin decoration resulting from 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 o ...
s.Callaghan 20 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 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 Wounaan in Hollywood films

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 Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * ...
living in the Iguazu Falls region of Argentina during the
Guaraní War The Guarani War ( es, link=no, Guerra Guaranítica, pt, Guerra Guaranítica) of 1756, also called the War of the Seven Reductions, took place between the Guaraní tribes of seven Jesuit Reductions and joint Spanish-Portuguese forces. It was a re ...
in the 18th century. Later they portrayed the
Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...
and Carib in Ridley Scott's '' 1492: Conquest of Paradise'', a film about Columbus' discovery of the Americas. The tribe performed alongside such notable actors as
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
,
Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...
,
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...
and
Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
, as well as
Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
, Armand Assante, Frank Langela, Ray McNally, and others. Despite portraying other indigenous peoples, the Wounaan speak their own language in both films. The most notable members of the tribe to act were: * Bercelio Moya, who portrayed the Indian Boy who always followed De Niro's character in ''The Mission'', and Columbus' translator Utapan in ''Conquest of Paradise''. * Alejandrino Moya, who portrayed the Chief's Lieutenant in ''The Mission'', and the Taino
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 ...
"Guarionex" in ''Conquest of Paradise''. 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, the filming was done in Panama. The Wounaan actors learned how to use the weapons of the original tribe.


See also

*
Comarca Emberá-Wounaan A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
, indigenous territory in Panama * Chafil Cheucarama, Wounaan artist and illustrator.


Notes


References

* Callaghan, Margo M. ''Darién Rainforest Basketry.'' 4th Ed. Sun Lakes, AZ: HPL Enterprises, 2009. .


External links


Embera Wounan of PanamaElla Drua Embera-Wounaan Community
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embera-Wounaan Ethnic groups in Panama Indigenous peoples in Panama Indigenous peoples in Colombia Indigenous peoples of Central America