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San Blas Indian women look almost too good to be true. In fact, some visitors to San Blas are moved to suspect that, once the tourists have gone, the Indian women will change out of their tribal finery and catch a plane back to town. There is, however, no catch. The San Blas woman wears as everyday dress, her appliqued Mola blouse, gold rings, long skirt, red and yellow headdress and beads or gold ornaments at neck, arm and ankle. The San Blas islands stretch along approximately 200 miles of Panama’s Caribbean coastline and the San Blas reservation, also known as Kuna Yala, is defined from the seaward continental shelf to the top of the jungle-clad continental divide some miles inland. Within this territory, the Kuna Indians, a short, stocky people of great simplicity and charm whose ancestors peopled these shores long before Columbus landed, govern themselves in a virtually autonomous society. The pattern of their lives is simple and comfortable. They live on tiny, palm-fringed islands, hundreds of which dot the surface of the blue and emerald sea. The islands are totally free from animals or snakes and have a perfect, breeze-cooled tropical climate. Every day, Indian women and children literally “commute” from their village islands to the mainland in their dugout canoes or cayucos to wash and play in the river. The men either go to the mainland to cultivate corn, yucca and coconuts, or go fishing or trading around neighbouring islands. Many of the islands are unihabited except for a “caretaker” who guards the coconut trees and their precious crop, which is the basic livelihood of the Indians. No land is individually owned in San Blas, but the coconut trees are. Any disputes are settled within the village itself, and each village has its congress hall, a large hut where the people make their decisions. There is a Government outpost and police station on the island of Porvenir but the Police Force doesn’t do much business. The Indians deal with their own problems. For all the simplicity of their lives the San Blas Indians remain very aware of their rights to their own territory and they guard their rights passionately. How to visit San BlasA day tour is probably best arranged through a local tour agency. You can“do-it-yourself” and fly there on local airlines which have flights to San Blas each morning from Marcos A. Gelabert airport. Round trip costs approximately $63.00 and the best destination is the island of Porvenir. The airline may not guarantee a return trip the same day. To do it in style, charter a yacht. Trips 2-14 days are offered by San Blas Sailing • Tel: 232-7598 / 674-8860 with captains who know the Kuna Indians and the best places along the gorgeous reefs of Mauqui and Achutupu.
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