The Ngöbe- Bugle are one of the 7 indigenous tribes in Panama. They are compromised of two separate ethnic-linguistic groups which are the Ngöbe and the Buglé, each with it's own language. All though being Panama's most numerous indigenous group with a population of about 200-250,000(UNHCR), the Ngöbe-Buglé have the least political leverage of all the main...
more »

The Ngöbe- Bugle are one of the 7 indigenous tribes in Panama. They are compromised of two separate ethnic-linguistic groups which are the Ngöbe and the Buglé, each with it's own language. All though being Panama's most numerous indigenous group with a population of about 200-250,000(UNHCR), the Ngöbe-Buglé have the least political leverage of all the main indigenous groups in Panama. They live in west Panama in a traditional rain forest lifestyle of simple small communities.
Like many indigenous peoples in Central America they suffer under a lack of interest by the national government in the development of their areas. Different statistics proof that indigenous people living inside the Comarcas enjoy less medical services, access to education and fresh water system than in other mostly non indigenous parts of the country.

In the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca UNICEF work with communities and support their cultural traditions and independence. Because of the national curriculum doesn't include cultural and traditional values of the Ngöbe-Buglé, local schools are working on their own education methods. Supported by UNICEF Panama they started the intercultural Friendship Schools(,,escuelas amigas")

Lourde lives with her 3 sisters in a small village in the mountains of the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé and visits one of the friendship schools supported by UNICEF Panama. Here parents work on small fields around the community as farmers in subsistence.

On Friday Lourdes and her friends meet Cecilia to join her traditional workshops. Cecilia coordinates the cultural involvement in the school. The Ngöbe-Buglé are famous for their ,,Naguas", the traditional dresses worn by the women and girls. Lourdes and her friends learn to stitch their colorful dresses, inspired by the ridged shapes and vivid colors of the mountains and forests. They also practice traditional dances like caracol(slug), frog or snake dance. All those refer to the animals that life with them in their natural environment.
« less