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Embera & Wounan

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  • These two Embera girls will wear western clothes and return to school the next day but on this day they participate in a ritual dance to welcome a rare group of visitors. Their jagua body paint was applied in large, opaque blocks of black. Others will display more delicate, geometric designs.
  • After a long morning of work in the stifling heat a young Embera girl takes a shower. She uses a bowl made from calabasa gourd that has been, boiled, hollowed out and dried.
  • Glistening and glamorous after a quick shower, this young Embera girl reacts to the camera with false modesty. ..Born in one of the poorest villages of the Darien (Embera Puru), this girl's future is limited. Education is only available through primary school and she and her family must eke out an existence farming the poor soil around the village. 20 years ago the community was surrounded by lush jungle. Her grand-parents lived from hunting and gathering. Today an extension of the Pan-American highway -- a wide dirt logging road -- passes a hundred yards from the village center. The surroundings have been clear-cut by loggers and cattle farmers. There are few remaining forest resources. The leaders of her village hope for further educational opportunities and economic development based on eco-tourism.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. Intricate lines are painted with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. Intricate lines are painted with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • With ebony hair and eyes and jagua-blackened skin, the splash of red on the young girl's cheeks is a surprise. She was inspired to dance and perform and wanted to look her best for the camera..Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • Some Embera and Wounan families paint in solid blocks of black and create designs with thick, bold lines. The depth of the color depends on the preparation of the dye. As the jagua juice oxidizes it turns black. Often they will boil the juice to thicken it. Once applied to the skin, the oxidization process continues and the designs get darker over the first couple days.
  • This older Embera woman shows off her jewelry with pride before taking the floor to lead the dances. In many Darien villages the elders tend to shy away from visitors with cameras and if they do submit to photos they stiffen into somber poses.
  • Basket weaving is a lost art form that has been revived by the Wounan. It generates significant income for small villages. In less than two generations it has reached a highly evolved state. Women now create intricate patterns with naturally dyed fibers that are wrapped around long bundles of fibers. The basket grows outward in concentric circles.
  • Basket weaving is a traditional art form that has been reborn among the Wounan women. It provides a crucial source of income to villagers. They produce baskets of all sizes for all price ranges. The largest will reach the size of an amphora jug, take up to nine months to complete and will sell for $1500. .The technique is time-consuming. They coil long bundles of fibers and wrapped them with dyed fibers at intervals that create geometric patterns as the basket grows outwards.
  • Basket weaving is a traditional art form that has been reborn among the Wounan women. It provides a crucial source of income to villagers. They produce baskets of all sizes for all price ranges. The largest will reach the size of an amphora jug, take up to nine months to complete and will sell for $1500. .The technique is time-consuming. They coil long bundles of fibers and wrapped them with dyed fibers at intervals that create geometric patterns as the basket grows outwards.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted on a young Embera gir with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit..Here a young woman paints her younger sister who has just returned home from school. Villagers alternate between traditional dress and western clothes yet there is little modesty. Most women in the community are topless.
  • A young Wounan dancer in full regalia leads a dance that mimics the flight of a bird. Most dances are representations of movements and rhythms that occur in the natural world. Her attire--used for special celebrations and festivals--features a necklace and skirt decorated with silver coins. .Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted on a young Embera gir with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • One of the Wounan village elders drinks cane juice from a calabasa (gourd) bowl. The juice taken directly from the press is sweet and refreshing. What is not consumed immediately will be used to prepare chicha by mixing it with corn or will be boiled to produce miel syrup.
  • The Wounan are renowned for their intricately woven baskets. Long bundles of fibers are fashioned into cords and wrapped with dyed fibers at intervals thus creating geometric designs as the cords are coiled concentrically outward. It is extremely fine and time-consuming work..Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted on a young Embera gir with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • A Wounan girl gazes with unguarded calm into the camera. Few adults will pose in such a relaxed revealing way. Over the past 100 years of interaction with outsiders, most communities in the Darien jungle have endured endless deception and disappointment. Many adults remain wary and skeptical until convinced otherwise by deeds and actions.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted on a young Embera gir with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit..A Wounan artist applies jagua dye to the arm of a visitor. She creates the delicate parallel designs and small dots using a piece of bamboo that she has sliced into fork-like tines.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted on a young Embera gir with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit..A Wounan artist shows off her body art and a unique brush. In order to create the delicate parallel lines and tiny dots she has fashioned a strip of bamboo into fork-like tines. She and her grandmother are highly sought after by friends and family.
  • An older Wounan woman pounds out a rhythm and leads the chant to inspire the younger dancers. The elders act as the teachers. They preserve the traditions of their ancestors by passing on their knowledge. ..Her hands are stained black with jagua dye, an indication of her status as an artist who applies the body art to the members of her community.
  • The Wounan are renowned for their intricately woven baskets. Long bundles of fibers are fashioned into cords and wrapped with dyed fibers at intervals thus creating geometric designs as the cords are coiled concentrically outward. It is extremely fine and time-consuming work.
  • With a watchful eye on their neighbors these women work hard on their "canasta" baskets. The art form has a long history among the Wounan and the older women unselfishly pass on their knowledge to the young girls. However, in recent years basket sales have become an important source of income and it has generated much competition among the women. The technique and quality has progressed immensely as a result.
  • The Wounan communities in the Darien jungle are highly skilled basket weavers. The women in the community of Puerto Lara are especially renowned for their craftsmanship. The largest pieces represent an immense amount of work. This piece may take the artist nine months to complete and sell for $1500. For many families basket sales are the only source of income.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit..Here the artist submits to her protege to have her own face decorated. Typically the facial design begins with a horizontal line drawn from the corners of the mouth back to the end of the jaw line and is filled in below. Both men and women and all age groups participate. Designs are different for each sex and age group.
  • Body art is one of the most important and enduring traditions in Embera and Wounan culture. intricate lines are painted with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit..Here intricate lines are painted on a young Embera girl?s face with indelible black dye made from the jagua fruit.
  • Embera women perform a ritual dance. They follow a choreographed set of steps that mimics the movements of animals. The lead dancer pounds out a cadence on a hand drum and leads a chant that tells a story. In the background the men accompany the dance with a flute, drums and other percussion instruments.