Guna Yala region
Guna Yala is an indigenous region in Panama, inhabited by the Guna ethnic group. In the past, the region was called San Blas until 1998 and Kuna Yala until 2010. Locals know it by various names such as: "Dulenega", &# 34;Yarsuid", "Duleyala" Its capital is Gairgirgordub. It limits to the north with the Caribbean Sea, to the south with the province of Darién and the Emberá Wounnan region, to the east with Colombia and to the west with the province of Colón.
Toponymy
The area was formally known as San Blas, along with the indigenous name of Kuna Yala, but it was changed in October 2011 when the Government of Panama recognized the Guna people's claim that the phoneme for the word did not exist in their mother tongue. letter "K", and that the official name should be "Guna Yala". Guna Yala in Guna language means "Guna Land" or "Guna Mountain".
History
By means of a law of June 4, 1870, of Colombia, the Tulenega Comarca was created, which included, in addition to the current territory of the Guna Yala Comarca, that of several of the communities of the region of Wargandí, such as Mortí, Asnadi and Sogubdi, as well as that of communities in the Madugandí region, such as Tiuarsicuá, and the Guna communities of Colombia, such as Tanela and Arquía. The territorial extension of the Tulenega Comarca ranged from the province of Colón to the Gulf of Urabá, Colombia. The head of government of the region was exercised by a general commissioner, appointed by the central government. The law also recognized the Guna, ownership of the land in the region.
After the separation of Panama in 1903, the Law of 1870 was completely unknown, and in addition, the territory of the previous region, was divided in fact, in two parts: the majority part remained in the new Panamanian nation, while a small portion remained in Colombia.
The suspension of the region, the banana concessions, the incursions of people outside the Guna people in search of gold, rubber, sea turtles and the abuses of the colonial police caused great discontent among the natives and provoked, on February 21, of 1925, the Guna Revolution, led by Chief Olokintipipilele (Simral Colman) of the Ailigandi Community, where the entire Guna revolution of 1925 took place, additionally supported by Saila Nele Kantule from the town of Ustupu, who was its Secretary and Spokesman likewise the Saila Olonibiquinya de Carti. The armed Gunas attacked the police on the islands of Tupile and Ukupseni, Tigre, Rio Sidra, Nargana, Corazón de Jesus, Rio Azúcar and Carti, since they were accused of suppressing Guna customs and carrying out abuses in several communities. In this Guna revolution the ephemeral Republic of Tule was proclaimed, separating from the Panamanian central government for a few days.
The subsequent peace treaty established the Panamanian government's commitment to protect Guna uses and customs. The Gunas, in turn, accepted the development of the official school system on the islands. The police brigade would be expelled from the indigenous territory and all the prisoners released. The negotiations that put an end to the armed conflict constituted a first step to establish the autonomous status of the Guna and recover the culture that was being lost.
Based on Article 5 of the 1904 Constitution, which says that it allows the law to create political divisions with special regimes or for reasons of administrative convenience or public service, the legislation on indigenous territories in Panama began to be defined with the establishment of the Comarca de San Blas by means of Law No. 2 of September 16, 1938, including areas of the provinces of Panama and Colón, and later, with the definition of its limits and administration by Law No. 16 of February 19, 1953. Its name was changed to Guna Yala by Law No. 99 of December 23, 1998.
Currently, according to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice, of March 23, 2001, the Comarcas have a different and independent political-administrative organization from that of the Districts and Corregimientos. The Regions are governed according to their own special institutions; and according to the resolution of the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, of December 6, 2000, one of the institutions is the consent of the indigenous peoples in the projects that intend to be developed in their territories.
Government and politics
The governmental structure of Guna Yala is defined in the Organic Law of September 16, 1953. The Guna General Congress is the highest political authority of Guna Yala, it consists of representatives of all the Guna Yala communities and meets twice a year. anus. Votes are taken by each saila of the community.
Guna Yala Communities
Guna Yala does not have districts, but it does have four corregimientos:
- Ailigandi
- Aidirgandi
- Ugupa or Playón Grande
- Irgandi
- Ugupseni or Playón Chico
- Dad Nagued Dupir or San Ignacio de Tupile
- Ailigandi
- Achutupu or Dog Island
- Mamitupu or Mamey Island
- Ustupu or Rabbit Island
- Ogobsucun
- Narganá
- Wichupwala
- Nalunega
- Gorbisgi
- Cartí Mamidup
- Uargandup
- Ailidup
- Orosdup
- Mandi Ubgigandup
- Arridup or Iguana Island
- Narasgandup Dummad or Orange Grande
- Narasgandup Bipi or Orange Girl
- Akwadup
- Cartí Sugdupu
- Cartí Mulatupu
- Cartí Yandup
- Cartí Tupile
- Mirya Ubgigandup or Soledad Miria
- Mormagedup or Isle Machine
- Mamardup
- Urgandi
- Nusadup
- Uargandup or Río Azúcar
- Yandup or Narganá
- Agwanusadup or Heart of Jesus
- Digir Dubbu or Tigre Island
- Niadup or Ticantiqui
- Pino Island
- Maguebgandi
- Puerto Obaldía
- Puerto Obaldía
- Bahía Blanca or Playa Blanca
- La Boca
- The Honey
- Tubuala
- Mansucun
- Nabagandi
- Mulatupu
- Sasardi
- Tubuala
- Goedupu
- Cuba
- Marmartupu
- Sukunya
- Yansipdiwar
- Anachuguna
- Armila
Geography
The Guna Yala Region has an area of 2,306 km². It consists of a narrow strip of land 373 km long on the eastern coast of the Panamanian Caribbean, bordering the province of Darién and Colombia. An archipelago of 365 islands surround the coast, of which 36 are inhabited.
Economy
The economy of the Guna Yala region is mainly dedicated to agriculture, fishing, handicraft production, and tourism.
The type of agriculture practiced in the Guna Yala Region is for subsistence purposes. The traditional products are the banana, (now the Chinese banana), cassava, corn and sugar cane. Coconuts are also produced as sources of income.
Fishing is artisanal, generally using thread (line) or with nets. Most of the fishing is for sale. The shellfish is specially destined for sale, for which small planes arrive daily to the islands. Especially lobster, crab (crab) and lately squid and octopus are sold.
The making of molas is the main activity of the Guna woman and constitutes for many families the only or at least the main source of income.
In the Guna Yala Region there are tourist facilities. Most are small hotels for ecotourism. Most of them are in the Cartí sector, but there are also several in the Ailigandí corregimiento. There are also some boats like the Carpe Diem that accept tourists.
Other sources of income are remittances sent by relatives who work in the cities of Panama and Colon.
Customs of the gunas
- Ico inna (Fiesta de la perforación de la nose) (
This party consists of piercing the girl's nasal septum. This activity is carried out in the first months of the girl. At first, the person in charge of making the perforation performs surgery on the nose, where a thread soaked in coconut oil is placed in order to avoid infection. A few days later, a ring is placed, which is changed as the girl grows.
In the past, when the girl was having her nasal septum pierced, a boy's ear was also pierced at the same moment. At present this counterpart is no longer made in Guna Yala, but it is known that in the Guna communities of Colombia it is still practiced, but the counterpart is no longer a child, but a rooster.
This festival takes place in one day and the community is offered Inna (fermented chicha) and soup.
- Ilegued and Inna Suit (Ceremony of haircut)
This ceremony consists of cutting the hair of a Guna girl between the ages of 8 and 10 and lasts 3 days. This ceremony is conducted by a Gandur (Cantor). It is on this festivity that the Gandur gives the name to the girl. At the end of the ceremony, the girl will wear the Musue, which consists of a scarf that covers the girl's head. The entire community participates in this ceremony.
The men of the community will collect cane and the women will extract its juice and then take it to the house of the chicha. The parents will hire an expert in the preparation of the chicha and he will indicate when it is ready to start this great party. Apart from the chicha, the parents must have collected enough fish and bananas for the big soup. Storing a large quantity of fish and wild meat (collar, deer, wild boar) lasts almost a year.
Currently, very few families perform this ritual since its cost is estimated at almost $3,000 in the Guna Yala region.
- Sergu-ed (Ceremony of Puberty)
When the girl begins to menstruate, on her first day, she is walked around the community by her mother and father. This first step by the parents consists of asking the community for its support to celebrate this ceremony.
The young lady is locked in Surba (bathroom) for 5 days and during that time, the women of the community will help the young woman's family, in the search for water to wash the young woman. In gratitude, the parents will offer cane juice to the entire town.
On the last day, very early in the morning, after being hired by the parents, the Aila Sied (harvester of the Jagua fruit) and the young woman's relatives, will go to look for Sichi (Jagua) to paint the young woman from the juice of this fruit. When the Aila Sied reaches the jagua tree, a gratitude ceremony will be held and those fruits that are found towards sunrise and others towards sunset will be harvested.
When this group is arriving in the community, their arrival will be announced and it is forbidden to observe them.
- Inna Mutikid (Starting Party)
This ceremony is held after Sergu-ed, the time depends on the parents' decision and represents a formal way of presenting the young woman to society. This ceremony has a follow-up character and thanks to the community, for its support in the previous ceremonial act (Sergu-ed). A night of chicha and Dimas (a kind of soup made from corn) is provided.
This ceremony is removed from Our Historical Memory and represents the sacrifice of women for the good of all. Dada Ibeler granted her only sister Olowaili to Dada Olourkunaliler to defend Mother Earth. With this Inna Mutikid ceremony, we remember and give thanks for this sacrifice that our Mother Olowaili made.
Demographics
The Guna Yala Region has a population of more than 31,557 inhabitants (2010), which shows a progressive decrease in the population.
Guna Revolution
The Guna Revolution refers to the events that occurred in 1925, in which the Guna indigenous people defended themselves against the Panamanian authorities, who forced the indigenous people to westernize their culture by force. In this revolution the Republic of Tule, of short existence, was proclaimed. When the Gunas were once again unified with Panama, with the endorsement of the Panamanian government, an autonomous territory called the San Blas indigenous region was created, which guaranteed the safety of the Guna population and culture.
Background
During the first twenty years of Panama as an independent country, the Gunas had serious differences with the national governments, because they tried to eradicate their culture, disrespected their customs and their indigenous authorities, apart from wanting to dispossess their lands and were outraged by the mayors and the colonial policemen (a settler for an indigenous person is a non-indigenous person). This event is linked to an incident on April 20, 1921, in which a movement to westernize women took place in Narganá and Corazón de Jesús, which consisted of changing their clothes, removing the pure gold ring from their noses, of high carat gold, the beads, the güines and the coin necklaces that they used as ornaments. But a woman escaped from Narganá and fled towards Río Azúcar, where she came from. The police in retaliation imprisoned her sons and her son-in-law, who was released to look for her.
That day, in Río Azúcar there was an indigenous congress and there it was decided not to let the woman go, so the Sáhila sent a message to the police on behalf of the community telling them not to go looking for her. The police ignored the message and sent a commission to Río Azúcar that same night of two colonial police officers and three indigenous police officers. When trying to stop some of the woman's male relatives, the battle began and three residents of the town died; two indigenous policemen and the others were ferociously wounded with machetes as they fled in a canoe. The corpses of the policemen were left in the water, tied to a pole embedded in the sand, until their relatives came to pick them up.
The atmosphere remained tense until January 1925. Juan Demóstenes Arosemena was the governor of the province of Colón and he was concerned about the information that the mayor of San Blas, Andrés Mojica, had provided him about an alleged independence movement among the indigenous people Therefore, it was decided to inform the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Horacio F. Alfaro, to closely follow the actions of the Americans: the missionary Anne Coope and the explorer Richard Oglesby Marsh. Marsh was precisely the promoter of "independence". Upon his return to Panama in January 1925, he found a conflict between the police and indigenous people about to break out, for which he requested the intervention of the United States military in the Canal Zone, so that they exercised a protectorate, and drafted the Declaration of Independence and human rights of the Tule and Darién people. Marsh obtained the support of the US ambassador, who helped get the Panamanian government to sign a peace agreement guaranteeing the human and political rights of the Gunas.
The revolution
The situation worsened until February 12, 1925, when a Guna congress was held in Ailigandí, where the principals met. The discussions lasted 26 days and it was decided to proclaim the Republic of Tule, and the territorial limits were set. From this uprising arose a flag, which was made by Waga Ebinkili (María Colman), granddaughter of chief Simral Colman. It had a rectangular design with stripes. The center was yellow and with a swastika figure.
On March 4, with the presence of the US minister, John G. South, the peace agreement with the indigenous peoples was signed and they were promised better treatment respecting their customs; not impose the establishment of schools, and ensured them the same protection and the same rights that other citizens enjoy. The indigenous people, on the other hand, promised to lay down their arms, withdraw the declaration of independence and abide by the laws of Panama.