Playing Soccer with the Embera Drua Tribe by Jennifer
Just 30 minutes away from the metropolitan city of Panama’s capitol lives one of the indigenous Panamanian Tribes, the Embera Drua. We were 2 pregnant ladies, our husbands and our 2 ten year old children venturing on a day trip into the Chagres National Park to meet the Embera. Escorted by our guide, we were greeted by two men from the tribe with their dugout canoe at the river’s entrance . After carefully being seated in our single row canoe, the tribesmen pushed off with their very long steering poles.
Our hosts were dressed in little more than an orange handkerchief and an arry of multicolored necklaces. I felt over dressed and typically American! Our float down the Chagres was similar to the footage I have seen on the Travel Channel of the Amazon. There was dense foliage by the riverbank sheltering caymans, herons, spider monkeys and white tailed deer. The tribesman worked hard getting our group through the river as the canoes skirted through depths of 7 inches of water in places over river rocks of all shapes and sizes. We cruised by several villages of Embera and travelled to the last one deep in the rain forest.
We were greeted by the incredible sounds of the Embera Drua’s traditional music and warm smiles. The village was a series of small thatched roof huts on stilts. They had a meeting area for guests where the chief welcomed us. The tribeswomen’s heads where adorned with red hibiscus flowers. Their necks were graced with replica coins from the Spanish Conquistadors of yesteryear. The Chief’s wife showed us their woven baskets that were hand dyed with natural pigments. Of course, I had to buy several. We watched as the men of the village drummed while the women danced the Embera’s Snake dance and we joined the dance party in the jungle.
Our children were fascinated by a crazy black monkey that seemed to be the Embera kids’ pet. It was moving fast up and down a tree. It would get close to them and reach out to touch them. They would scream, run and then go back for more. The kids in our group ate some of the plantains and fresh fish that was cooked by the Embera woman, but requested some Cheetos I had brought with us. The rustling of the bag called all the children to me as if I were the pied piper. With the cultural “ice” broken, my daughter joined the group of boys for a soccer match of sorts. She held her own and made some new friends. Kids of all cultures have this ease about them starting new relationships.
I highly recommend a visit to the Embera village while staying in Panama.
Don’t forget to bring the Cheetos!!!