How did the Kuna people survive?
The Kuna mainly survive by fishing and harvesting fruits, especially coconuts. The Kuna’s also create art on their bodies and clothes that they call Molas. The Kuna Indians are the native inhabitants of the autonomous region Kuna Yala of Panama.
How many Kuna Indians are there in Panama?
The beloved San Blas Islands of Panama are home to the native people known as Kuna Indians. A small, tight-knit group of indigenous people, the community is only made up of around 300,000 in total, with 50,000 living on the 49 major islands of San Blas.
What is Kuna known for?
The Kuna are an indigenous group known for their colorful colorful dress and for their intricately embroidered textiles called molas. During the beginning of the twentieth century, Panama’s government attempted to suppress the unique and colorful Kuna culture.
What are some Kuna traditions?
The Kuna men wear traditional t-shirts and paints, while the women wear very colourful dresses and traditional Molas, reverse-appliqué designs on their chest. They also wear all over their arms and legs the traditional bracelets of multi colour beads called Winnis or Chaquiras in Spanish.
Where do the Kuna people of Panama live?
San Blas islands
Kuna live mainly on the San Blas islands and in some settlements on the Colombian border at the edge of the Darién National Park.
What does Mola mean in the Kuna language?
blouse
Explain to students that a mola (pronounced MO-la) means blouse or clothing in the Kuna language. It is also the word used to describe colorful panels made of cotton fabric and thread created by the Kuna women of Panama. These cloth panels are attached to the fronts and backs of women’s blouses.
Where are the Kuna people?
Kuna live mainly on the San Blas islands and in some settlements on the Colombian border at the edge of the Darién National Park. The great majority of the population are spread over 38 islands, each with their own distinct traditions and led by a chief (saila) who is both a political and spiritual leader.
Who were the cunas?
The Cuna Indians are the original inhabitants of what is now Panama. Like other Amerindian peoples, they are believed to be descended from Central Asians who migrated across the Bering Strait (separating Siberia and Alaska) some 20,000 years ago and moved southward.
Where are the Kuna located?
Kuna live mainly on the San Blas islands and in some settlements on the Colombian border at the edge of the Darién National Park.
What do the Kuna people wear?
The men typically dress in T-shirts and pants, and the women wear colorful handmade dresses, or tulemolas, bearing traditional molas on their chests. The artistry of the mola is largely inspired by traditional Kuna culture, as well as influences of the modern world.
What does mola mean in the Kuna language?
Where do the Kuna people live in Panama?
There are also communities of Kuna people in Panama City, Colón, and other cities. Most Cunas live on small islands off the coast of the comarca of Guna Yala known as the San Blas Islands. The other two Cuna comarcas in Panama are Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí.
Are there any Guna speaking people in Panama?
The other two Guna comarcas in Panama are Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí. They are Guna-speaking people who once occupied the central region of what is now Panama and the neighboring San Blas Islands and still survive in marginal areas.
Where do the Guna people live in San Blas?
San Blas, also known as the Guna Yala comarca (region), a politically autonomous reservation, is where the majority of the Guna people live by occupying 49 of the islands. However, there are two other comarcas; Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí.
Where did the Guna people live in Colombia?
Guna people were living in what is now Northern Colombia and the Darién Province of Panama at the time of the Spanish invasion, and only later began to move westward towards what is now Guna Yala due to a conflict with the Spanish and other indigenous groups.