The Bokota, also called Bogotá or Bugleres, are an

indigenous people of Panama Indigenous peoples of Panama, or Native Panamanians, are the native peoples of Panama. According to the 2010 census, they make up 12.3% of the overall population of 3.4 million, or just over 418,000 people. The Ngäbe and Buglé comprise half o ...

. They live in

Bocas del Toro Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouth of the Bull") is a province of Panama. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay ...

and north of

Veraguas Veraguas () is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. It is the only Panamanian province to border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of 10,587.6&n ...

."Indigenous Peoples in Panama."
''International Work Group for Indian Affairs.'' (retrieved 23 Feb 2011) Bokota live in the same region as the

Teribe Teribe is a town and Corregimientos of Panama, corregimiento in the Naso Tjër Di Comarca of Panama. It has a land area of and had a population of 2,578 as of 2010, giving it a population density of . It was created by Law 5 of January 19, 199 ...

or Naso Indians. As the 2010 Census, there were 26,871 Bogota living in Panama. They are the smallest tribe in Panama and live in the west of the country. Traditionally they spoke the

Bokota language Buglere, also known as Bugle, Murire and Muoy, is a Chibchan language of Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern ...

, a dialect of Buglere.

Culture

The Bokota dedicate themselves to livestock, fishing, and hunting. They still use weapons like bows and arrows and spears or fishnets. Men wear shirts of ''manta-sucia'', while women dress similar to the Ngobes. They wear necklaces, facial paint of black and red, and shiny hair combs. They make hats of vegetable fibers, backpacks, baskets, and daily dresses called ''cobo''. They live in round houses on stilts. They are

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time ( serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., pol ...

, and the Bokotas have often intermarried with the Ngöbe Buglés. There are still fullblood families of Bokota. Many traditional ceremonies are maintained, including the ceremony of lightning, which prevents lightning from striking their houses.

Language

They speak the

, also called Buglere, which is one of the

Chibchan languages The Chibchan languages (also Chibchan, Chibchano) make up a language family indigenous to the Isthmo-Colombian Area, which extends from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia and includes populations of these countries as well as Nicaragua, Costa ...

Notes

Indigenous peoples of Central America Ethnic groups in Panama Indigenous peoples in Panama {{NorthAm-native-stub

Culture

Language

See also

Notes