Edit Document

Data is Null. This method or property cannot be called on Null values.

ID #

Type

Title

Created By

Created At

Author(s)

Keywords

Subject

Document

The Gunas (previously Tules, Kuna or Cuna)1 are an Amerindian people located in Panama and Colombia. Their language is part of the Chibcha linguistic family. In the Guna language, they call themselves dule, which means "person."
This ethnic group has appeared in international media, being one of the first peoples that could see their lives drastically affected by climate change.2?
Historical facts
The first Spanish expeditions to conquer America on dry land were those of Alonso de Ojeda and Vasco Núñez de Balboa. These expeditionaries toured the Colombian Caribbean Coast and the Gulf of Urabá during 1500 and 1501. They all settled in the latter for quite some time, and it was there where they came into contact with the Guna indigenous people.
There is broad consensus regarding the Guna migrations from the forests of this humid eastern Darién and northern Antioquia of Colombia towards the Guna Yala archipelago, Panama, due to their wars with their Catío enemies, but mainly due to the poor treatment meted out to them by the Spanish conquerors, a situation in which the Guna ethnic group would later ally with the English expeditionaries against the Spanish, hiding them in the rivers of the area to attack the Iberians, a threat that the Crown would respond with a Royal Order to extinguish the Guna.

The Spanish expedition to annihilate them, which had black slaves and Indians on duty, managed to move them to the headwaters of the Tuira and Chucunaque rivers. The lower course of the Atrato River, in Colombia, would have been the favorable channel for this dispersal of the Guna ethnic group to eastern Panama. Finally, the displaced Guna culture would stand out more in Panama than in Colombia, where it has successfully perpetuated its traditions and has appropriated Western technology.

The Gunas live mostly in the northeast of Panama in a vast rosary of villages settled on around 360 islands and reefs (with a total of 61,707 inhabitants in 2000), where they collectively own three indigenous regions: (Guna Yala, Madugandí and Wargandí); in the provinces of Panama, Colón and Darién; They also live in Colombia in two indigenous reservations (with a total of 1,988 inhabitants in 2011): Maggilagundiwala, in Spanish Arquía, located in the current municipality of Unguía, Department of Chocó, and Ibggigundiwala, in Spanish Caimán Nuevo, located in the municipalities of Necoclí and Turbo Department of Antioquia, on the Gulf of Urabá region.

By Law of June 4, 1870 of Colombia, the Tulenega Region was created. With the separation of Panama in 1903, this law was completely ignored, and its territory was divided in two: a majority part went to the new Panamanian nation, while another small portion remained in Colombia. The suspension of the region, the banana and mining concessions and the abuses of the police caused great discontent among the Guna people and provoked the Guna Revolution of 1925, led by Nele Kantule and Olonkitipipilele (Simral Colman). The subsequent Peace Treaty established the commitment of the government of Panama 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 indigenous territory and all prisoners released. The negotiations that ended the armed conflict constituted a first step to recover the culture that was being lost and establish a path towards de facto autonomy in the Guna Yala Region.
The legislation on indigenous territories in Panama began to be defined with the legislation of the Guna de San Blas Comarca, in 1938, and with the definition of its limits and administration through Law No. 16 of 1953. The dule were thus constituted the first indigenous people to acquire rights over their territories. Since then they have maintained a certain political-administrative autonomy. In 1992 the Colombian government recognized 7,500 hectares as an indigenous reservation.

The Madugandí Comarca was created in 1996 (Law No. 24 of January 12, 1996), located east of the province of Panama, in the area known as Alto Bayano. Madungandi is made up of 12 Guna communities, some of which were relocated due to the construction of Lake Bayano for the operation of the Dam and Hydroelectric Plant in the 1970s. On June 7, 2000, after great conversations and negotiations with all the instances of the Panamanian State and with the local settlers, the Legislative Assembly approved the Law by means of which the Wargandí region is created.

Social structure

Guna woman sewing a mola.
The old social structure of the gunas has been strengthened through their Local Congresses (communities) and General Congresses (region), they maintain a strong cohesion of the group and have been able to retain the power of decision over the activities carried out in their territory and exercise control over natural resources and the use of other resources in the region.

Currently, the fundamental political institution of the Guna people is the great Congress House, Onmaked Nega, which functions in each community and constitutes a consultative, deliberative and executive center that is both civic and ceremonial. The very symbolism of the House of Congress indicates that it is presided over but not dominated by the Sailas, leaders of the communities. There is growing tension and demand for greater political participation by women, whose traditional role has been to influence the votes of the men in their households, but proof of the adaptability of the system is the recent appointment of a female Saila.

There are different officials who are elected by Congress and who contribute to the development of collective life. Thus, each Saila is accompanied by the Argar, interpreter and spokesperson, who must be a great connoisseur of the culture to be faithful in the translation of the sacred songs that the Saila sings. The volunteer local guards, called Suaribgan, are in charge of maintaining order in the community and in the House of Congress, calling meetings and enforcing the resolutions of Congress, carrying a type of command staff carved with sacred figures and purified by the song of the Sailas, who thus sacralize that symbol of collective power. Other officials are the Sapin Dummagan, in charge of directing the different types of rituals or communal work. Among them is the Inna Saila who organizes the ritual of female puberty, which has a notable presence in the culture. The Neg Saila is responsible for organizing the construction and renovation of palm houses. The Igar Dummad is in charge of directing the cleaning of the roads, the Naynu Dummad of the work in the community plantations and the Ur Dummad is in charge of adding efforts to transport the trees destined for the construction of canoes or cayucos. .

The main institution that brings together all the Guna people and whose origins are apparently very ancient, is the so-called Congress of Culture, Onmaked Nega Namakaled, which from 1973 was reorganized to face the changing political situations. This Congress meets once or twice a year and is attended by Sailas from all communities.

Economy

Cayuco in San Blas.
The economy is based on agriculture, fishing and hunting, with a long tradition of international trade. They live in houses with simple architecture in constructions based on cane but solid and resistant to the vagaries of the climate. Although the towns are mostly island, the farmland is located on the nearby mainland, to which they travel daily in rowing canoes to work their crops. Bananas, coconuts and fish are part of the Guna diet, supplemented with imported food and some domestic animals. Coconuts, cocoa and lobsters are the most important export products.

Many of the imports come from products brought on Colombian ships that are purchased by the Gunas; They also receive imports from Panama City; Tourism has been an important part of the economy, especially in Guna Yala.

The women wear beautiful, uniquely colored outfits. The making and selling of molas is a source of income for them. Molas are a colorful artistic fabric made with embroidery and reverse embroidery techniques. The mola boards are used to make blouses for the female Guna costume, which is worn daily by many Guna women. Mola means "clothes" in the Guna language. According to Guna tradition, the design of the mola was brought by the cultural hero Magiryai.

Language


The Guna language is an indigenous language of the Chibcha family and has between 50,000 to 70,000 speakers. The name of the language in Guna is Dulegaya, which means "language of the Guna people." It is the language of daily use in the regions and other Guna areas, and most children speak the language as their native language. The Spanish language is also used quite a bit, especially in education and in written documents. It enjoys quite strong vitality and has good expectations regarding its use and evolution.

Culture

When talking about the origin of Guna dance and music, it is essential to mention the two great promoters of Guna culture: Olowa Guna music.

Tradition says that all of them came from a place called Kuligun Yala, where music and dance were developed in their maximum splendor on the banks of the Kuligun River. The inhabitants of that place distinguished themselves for being cultivators of mother earth, connoisseurs of the mountains, rivers and ravines. They also deeply learned the chirping and dancing of different species of birds, they deciphered the meaning of the moaning of animals, the bubbling of streams and the chirps of crickets.

It is also worth mentioning that, according to tradition, Ibeorgun, great leader of the Guna culture, brought with him twelve treatises on different Guna knowledge and likewise left us twelve types of flutes, such as, for example, the Kammu ya Kortikit, the ya Barbat, the urwa kammu. As time went by, other types of dances appeared, and in the same way, guna musical instruments were developed to this day thanks to the creativity of the great connoisseurs of guna music.

Spirituality, rituals and religion
Spiritually they practice feelings and convictions of a transcendentalist type. They consider themselves "Golden Men" ("Olo Tule"), an essential part of Nature and endowed with special potentialities and privileges. According to their mentality, divinity is expressed in the form of father and mother. For the Guna, in nature From humans, animals and plants, feminine and masculine energies flow simultaneously.

Regarding their religion, El Bag Igala is the lifeblood that nourishes the Kuna culture, it is the backbone of the Kuna philosophy, and what gives meaning to the existence of the Kuna people. On the other hand, one of the characteristics of Bab Igala within Kuna oral history is its relevance. Rites they practice All rites are feminine in nature. Because they place a lot of value on women.

The first is the ico-inna or needle festival where the girls' septum is pierced and then the gold ring is placed on them.

The second rite is the inna-suit or first haircut performed at four or five years of age and it is in this ceremony where the girl receives a name,

It is a festival of great importance and luxury that lasts several days. When he finishes, the "kantule" sings a song, during which the young lady's hair is cut and she is given a name. This is a premarital ritual, since after being celebrated the lady will be able to get married.

Notes

Draft

Status

Country

City

Placename

Cancel