Lake Madden is a man-made lake in Panama that is part of the Panama Canal system. Evidence has been found in the Lake Madden area that indicates humans first settled there 11,000 years ago. It is believed the people flourished since it was so full of natural resources. The word Panama is derived from an indigenous word meaning “an abundance of fish”. Evidence shows that some of the first pottery making in the Americas started in Panama at around 2,500 BC. It is believed agricultural activity in Panama started as far back as 3,500 years ago. Around 100 BC an extensive trading network that reached from Peru up to Mexico was established and Panama was part of it.
In 1501, the Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas “discovered” Panama. At the time, the Kuna people were one of several dozen indigenous people groups that inhabited Panama, and Kuna tribes were scattered throughout the Panamanian main land. Several attempts were made by the Spanish to establish a colony that all failed due to the resistance of the indigenous people, tropical disease and inhospitable terrain. In 1511, Vasco Nunez de Balboa was one of the founding fathers of a new settlement in northwestern Panama, called Darien. Balboa was made the city’s governor. Balboa was a friend to the Kunas and married a Kuna woman, the daughter of an important chief. The Spaniards hadn’t yet found the source of gold they were seeking, but they heard rumors of the wealthy Inca Empire on the other side of the mountains. In 1513, Balboa went out in search of this wealth, led by the Kunas. The Kunas showed him the Pacific Ocean, which Balboa is famous for “discovering”.
In 1514, Pedro Arias de Avila took over as governor of the entire Panama region. Avila was jealous of Balboa, so he falsely accused Balboa of treason, and had had Balboa executed. Avila tried to force Spanish ways on the natives and stole their gold. Avila is best remembered for doing things like ordering massacres where he roasted natives alive or fed them to dogs. He also enslaved many natives. The Kuna fled deep into the jungle to hide from Avila.
In 1671, the infamous pirate Henry Morgan (as in the rum) burned down Panama City, the bustling capital of Panama, and stole all its wealth. With the country’s government crippled and focused on more important things than persecuting the locals, the Kuna emerged from the jungle and began to settle in the uninhabited San Blas archipelago in the northwest portion of Panama. The archipelago has between 350 400 little islands, depending on what the person doing the counting is willing to call an island. The chain is 232 miles long, but quite narrow, and parallels the mainland of Panama. Even the most far flung island is within a few miles of the mainland. Most of the islands are grouped into little clusters, obviously the last remains of much bigger islands that are mostly sunken now. The Kuna also took possession of a narrow strip of the mainland that parallels the island chain. They made their homes on the islands and put their farms on the more fertile mainland, and commuted to work every day via boat. They grew rice, bananas, pineapple, yams, and yucca (not the cactus, but a member of the yam family), among other things. They also hunted and collected fresh water on the main land. On the islands, they fished and cultivated the coconuts that grew on the islands. The Kuna flourished.
From what we can tell, the Kuna were pretty much left alone until 1923, when the Panamanian government banned the Kuna from living according to their tradition, including following their religious beliefs and wearing their distinctive clothing. Police were sent to enforce the new law. The police were vicious, abusing the people and raping the women. The Kuna could not defend themselves because they had no weapons. The Kuna leaders went to the US and asked for guns, which the US was happy to give. Once they had guns, the rebellion began. In February 1925, the Kuna began killing soldiers stationed on the island. The Panamanians sent troops in to put down the rebellion. Someone called the US for help, and the US responded by sending a warship, the USS Cleveland, to stop hostilities on both sides. The US demanded that a truce be worked out and negotiated the terms of the agreement. And thus, the Comarca de Kuna Yala (which translates to the autonomous region of Kuna land) was born. In 1930, the Panamanian National Assembly officially approved partial autonomy for Kuna Yala.
Over the years, the Kuna have fought for more and more rights and autonomy. The Kuna now are basically completely self-governing. They also have full representation in the official Panamanian government and full voting rights. The Kuna probably have the greatest degree of political autonomy of any indigenous people group in Latin America.
Despite getting their autonomy, the Kuna are still zealously fighting to preserve their culture and traditions. Nowadays, though, instead of battling repressive governments, they are instead trying to resist the lure of modern life. The chiefs are insisting people stick with the old way of life. Development is discouraged and severely limited. Foreigners are not allowed to live in the Comarca to preserve it for their people.
Today, there are between 33,000 50,000 people living in the Comarca. There are 9 villages on the mainland and only 49 islands with villages. Most people still survive by fishing, collecting coconuts, hunting and farming. They trade the coconuts with the Columbians for goods like coffee, vinegar, rice, milk, batteries, etc. Their primary source of income is selling molas, a handmade handicraft, to tourists. They also sell seafood, particularly lobster. They grow many crops, but it sounds like bananas are an especially important crop for them, so we suspect they sell bananas for income, too. Water is still an issue on the islands and still is brought over from the mainland. Needless to say, the most heavily populated islands are the ones closest to the mainland. No one likes a long drive to work, right?
Another 30,000 Kuna live in other parts of Panama, especially Panama City. Most move seeking employment opportunities to help support their families in the Comarca.