We waited next morning for Justo to bring his family aboard for the journey to Soskantupu Island but he did not come which surprised us as he was so excited at the thought of steering our ship.

We had a sheltered anchorage on the Northern tip of Soskantupu from where we explored the coast and found an old airport jetty. From here we walked to the airport and along the runway, as usual spotting birds, then we found a trail cut through and often under the thick growth. This is where I suffer as Yvonne strolled through the track I almost had to crawl; these Indians are so short the roof of the trail came to my shoulder. Next morning a canoe load of women paddled upwind from Tubaula. We recognized them and were surprised, as we had refused to buy their poor molas before. The women had bought really excellent molas to the boat as the word had spread that we would not buy the quickies made for the tourist market. We sat them on board as we carefully examined each mola and we bought the few we could afford. They always wanted dollars, the currency of Panama, as money was hard to come by.

We gathered hundreds of packs of card oysters in a mangrove creek. We call them that name, as they are thin and about three inches in diameter and grow stuck together so you clamp between your hands 52 at a time. (Every handful a pack of cards.) The next hours were spent on the beach separating out the large ones and scrubbing off the thick gooey mangrove mud. Finally we steam them open and after all this we have excellent spaghetti marinara. Total labour 5 hours for one meal but well worth it and people ask us what we do all day.

We anchored off Pinos Island in front of the cemetery, which sloped up a hill. Pinos is a high island with only one mountain. Climbing this mountain through the jungle was a blood letting (mosquitos and scratching vines) but enjoyable experience and the views grandiose. Here the Saila decreed no woman could canoe out to show molas, as every woman must have the same chance to sell a mola. When we asked to see molas all the women displayed their molas in the village square and we walked around dazed with the beauty and close stitching of these Kuna artefacts.

They always, make the molas for the front and the back of a blouse so they are a pair but not an exact copy of each other. The colours will be reversed or the scene different but part of the same theme. For instance there was one with two pigs on the front and two goats on the back with the surrounding decoration in each mola matching but in reverse colours for the pair. The molas always represent something the Indians are in touch with like their village life or farms or the sea. We most enjoyed the traditional ancient designs however the women love to copy pictures from books so in this village someone gave them a book with African animals and elephants appeared on some of the molas.

The women keep on creating and sewing and wearing the molas as part of their blouses and can be seen sewing even whilst this display was before us. It is quite impressive to come to a village and find villagers in traditional way of life and dress. The women with a colourful frilly blouse with a mola back and front and with legs bound with beads. The men are only seen in white linen shirts cut a bit like a waistcoat and calf length trousers on special occasions.

In this village we bought two molas of a marine scene with whales, fish and turtles on a turquoise blue background as well as smaller molas to suit our new grandchild’s T-shirts. The many women who did not sell to us were not happy but our money is limited and the prices were higher than Anacuchina.

A delightful man called Vigilio became a good friend and we circumnavigated the island on foot with him. We learned a lot about Kuna culture for example a birth has a certificate and registration but a marriage has none. We asked him about marriage and he began this way, “Before love was invented marriage consisted of a girl’s parents talking and agreeing with a boy’s without the children’s knowledge on a marriage. Some time later when a strong chichi was brewed a party was held. When all were drunk the men got the boy into a hammock and the women put the girl in a hammock along side him. Their wrists and ankles were tied with vines and the pair were rocked for some time and water was thrown over them and fire and smoke was put under them and then everyone went back to drinking as the marriage was done. Those recently wedded, when they were brave enough, looked at each other found out who they would live with for the rest of their lives.”

This is the way Vigilio was married and he finds he loves his wife.

Infidelity is unacceptable and the family of both children, the girl maybe 13 the boy 15 see to that. Both these youngsters have been looking after babies since they were three or four years old so there are no problems with the children that soon are born.

“Since love was invented,” Virgilio went on, “things have changed. The couple go to the Saila and he acknowledges they are married. No papers are issued but the marriage lasts for life. That is all but some times the love lasts not long, ten years or even a month. That is bad you see I had no option and I am glad as love grows with the years and I now love my wife but in the beginning we were just friends who made babies often. We are proud we had eight children and five lived. That is a good record.”

“But what about divorce? Do you have divorce?” we asked.

“Castigation,” was the reply but Virgilio went on. “If a man and a woman want to end a marriage they go before the Saila to explain why and he gives a castigation. Do you see that man and woman moving stones on to the path edge?” We nodded. “They were given a castigation of doing that for a month so in a few more days they will be divorced when the month is up.”

“What if there are children?”

“It is simple the man must give land for the children and this is controlled by the Saila.”

“An example is a woman’s husband just left her and lives in Panama City somewhere. She was lonely and a man married to another woman ‘gave’ her a baby. The Saila enquired as to whom the father was and he was bought to order. After both persons did civic duties such as twenty days village chores - carrying rocks or a similar punishment, the man had to provide a farm for his out of wedlock child as every child inherits a farm from the father. Infidelity is uncommon within village life.

The Cassiquie is boss Saila of all the Kuna villages and is often living in Panama City negotiating with the Government. Kuna Yala is the region of Panama under the Kuna Law. Kunas are Panamanian citizens but they won many rights for themselves in 1925 when the Panama Government was trying to remove their culture and bring them under the one society of Panama. The Kunas fought the Panamanians and won.

This fight is re-enacted in various villages around February 21 every year.
 
©Bernie Katchor

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