Overview

The Embera are one of the seven indigenous peoples of Panama. Most of the 27,000 Embera live in the Darien of Panama that connects the country to Colombia, but a large group of them have settled in several villages in the rainforest near the Panama Canal.

A visit to the Embera Quera village starts with an hour's drive from the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, followed by a half hour boat ride on the Gatun River.

Embera Quera means the soul of the Embera (or something like that). The first thing we noticed upon arriving at the river was the traditional dress of the Embera men--no shirt and a very skimpy speedo-like thong covered in front with a long loin cloth. I wasn't sure of the purpose of the long cloth until I saw a man in the village sit down. They push the cloth through their legs and use it as a small ground covering.

Embera Quera has about 17 families and 45 people living in it. The village was built 6 years ago, when the tribe bought the land for about $11,000. Even today they have a sustenance living, with no electricity, no roads, and no indoor plumbing. Their homes are thatched huts like you see in other tropical areas.

The tribe grows their own food and lives off fish and chicken. They make cash by opening their village to tour groups of about 20 people like ours. Unlike the Cuna/Kuna/Guna people of the San Blas Islands of Panama (3 spellings) who make you pay to take their photos, this tribe was very welcoming and open to photos.

(Of course, we had paid to visit the village as part of our Grand Circle tour.) They also have an "Embera Hotel", where visitors can spend the night. Our program director Nicolas said guests are given a flashlight to use since there's no electricity. He said it also came in very handy to keep the bats away during the night!

In addition to opening the village to groups, the Emberas also sell handicrafts they make--mostly baskets, wood carvings from cocobolo wood, jewelry, and carvings on a large nut about the size of a plum called a tagua. (They call it "vegetable ivory"). The items are cheaper than in the shops, and the Emberas must do a good business based on the number of items our group bought.

The tribe has a chieftain who is elected once every 5 years by all residents who are over 13 years old. The current chief is only 29 years old and was elected a couple of years ago. He is married and has 2 young children and is currently attending the university to study tourism.

After a talk by the chief about the village, we had a nice lunch of fried fish (tilapia), plantains, and fresh fruit that we had brought from the grocery store in Coronado. Then we shopped in another hut with all their wares, each family proudly displaying what they had made. Some women in our group got traditional tatoos painted on their legs or arms.

The shopping was followed by a short musical show with dancing and then a walking tour of the village. The tiny schoolhouse was particularly sad and under-equipped. We wished we had brought school supplies to this school like the ones we took to the school in El Valle de Anton. The tiny Embera school only has 11 students now, but others might come from nearby villages if the school were nicer.

We re-boarded the boats about 2:30 and returned to the Gamboa resort about 4:00.

The next four pages are more photos of our visit to the Embera Quera village.

Page 2 > > Ride in a Dugout Canoe > >

Embera Dugout Canoe

Our Grand Circle tour group rode in this dugout canoe on the Gatun River to the Embera village. We enjoyed the 30-minute ride and saw many birds along with a caiman and a spider monkey.

Page 3 > > Giant Lily Pads on the Gatun River > >

Giant Lily Pads on the Gatun River

Along with the wildlife along the Gatun River, we passed very close to these giant lily pads on our way to the Embera village.

Page 4 > > Embera Quera Village > >

The 45 residents of Embera Quera live in thatched roof huts like these.

Page 5 > > Basket Weaving in the Embera Village > >

While we were listening to the Embera Quera chieftain and eating lunch, this woman quietly wove a basket. Watching her gave me a good appreciation of the time and effort involved to produce these beautiful, elaborate pieces.