Monday 30 June 2014
The San Blas Islands of Panama are an archipelago comprising approximately 378 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. They are home to the Kuna Indians and a part of the comarca (district) Guna Yala (also spelled Kuna Yala) along the Caribbean coast of Panama. The area is popular for sailing, as it is known for its beauty and lack of hurricanes. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Kuna wore few clothes and decorated their bodies with colorful designs. When encouraged to wear clothes by the missionaries, they copied these designs in their molas, which they wore as clothing. The Kuna worship a god named Erragon whom they believe came and died just for the Kuna people. Driven off Panama during the Spanish invasion, the Kuna fled to the surrounding 378 islands. Today their chief lives on an island called Acuadup, which means "rock island". Many Kuna are hunters and fishermen. On some of the islands children can attend school. Most of the men now speak Spanish, although the women carry on older traditions. Source
