Clothing, Shelter and Transportation in Panama
Panama, a small country located in Central America, is very diversified in both its people and its climate. Considered to be the isthmus connecting South America to North America, Panama has played a key role in global transportation since the creation of the Panama Canal. The canal goes through the midsection of the country connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, allowing for much faster sea travel. Because of its location, Panama has been heavily influenced by several countries including Colombia which they were ruled by until 1903 and the United States which played such a large role in the realization of the canal. These foreign influences can easily be found in Panama's cuisine, music, and artwork as well as all the tribes that have settled within the country.
The climate of Panama is substantially different on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the country, namely in terms of annual rain fall. So much so that 'on the Caribbean slopes of the Tabasará Mountains' average rainfall is approximately twice as heavy as on the leeward Pacific slopes' (www.britannica.com). Furthermore, the Pacific has heavy rainfall almost all year round whereas the Atlantic side has distinct seasons, making it easier for agriculture to flourish.
Found in the western provinces of Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, Veraguas and the San Blas Islands, the Kuna tribe is the second largest Indian group in Panama with approximately 35,000 people. While the Kuna speak their own language called ?Tule?, many speak Spanish and English because of the Colombian and US influences. Largely living in the rain forests, the Kuna live in ?traditionally thatched roof huts made from materials readily found in the jungle? (http://public.cwp.net). By using a combination of straw, palm leaves and reeds they use the resources found in their region to make shelter that is suitable for living in such a hot, humid climate. Their clothing, however, differs from other tribes in the country because of their location. Instead of preferring loin cloths like other tribes on the Pacific, rainier side of Panama do, the Kuna women wear ?wrap around skirts and beautifully hand-made blouses known as ?Molas?. The Mola is an intricately sewn picture made from layers of cloth in a reverse appliqué technique? while the men wear ?traditional Kuna shirts and less traditional pants, jeans, or shorts? (http://public.cwp.net). It?s easier for them to wear more clothing because they don?t have to continuously deal with rain.
One of the things I found was The clothes worn by the men included loincloths or short kilts which were made from a long rectangular piece of animal skin or cloth which was worn between the legs and tucked over a belt. The men started to wear cotton shirts and shorts, and a headband They wore moccasins made of soft leather. The type of clothes worn by the women of the Hopi tribe were cotton dresses called mantas which were fastened at a woman's right shoulder, leaving her left shoulder bare. Early women’s clothes included a dark blue woollen blanket that was fastened above the right shoulder and tied with a belt at the waist. When Hopi girls reach womanhood, their hair was dressed in two large whorls at the side of the head in a squash blossom.
As a young woman, Maria was known as the most skilled potter of her pueblo tribe. For this reason, an archaeologi...
The Kwakiutl Indian tribe existed before the discovery of North America by the European culture and inhabited the coast of the Pacific Northwest of the United States and British Columbia in Canada. The tribe is rich in tradition and culture and has remained steadfast in their beliefs, history, teachings and artisan skills which have been passed down generation to generation. The artisans in the Kwakiutl tribe mastered the art of creating special ceremonial masks that are not only beautiful and aesthetically interesting to the eye, but also mechanically intriguing in which the masks serve a specific purpose to a theme during different ceremonies that are conducted by tribal specialists during certain times throughout the year.
For example , in the encyclopedia of Native Americans it states the Chinook tribe wore prized dentalium shells , the men wore mat robes and wide-brimmed hats made of bear grass or cedar bark. Woman wore knee length fringes dresses made of silk grass or cedar bark. On the other hand , in the Nez Perce tribe section in the encyclopedia of Native Americans it states that in the early times shredded cedar bark , deerskin and rabbit skin were used to make clothing. Men usually wore capes and breech clothing adding fur robes and leggings when it's cold. Women wore large basket hats. Later they started imitating their tailored skin gourmets decorated with shells , elk teeth and beads. This shows that they both wore clothing very
So now you have met the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. You’ve learned about their lives, seen their journeys, and traveled with them from the past to the present. In all I hope this paper gives a greater understanding of the history and a look into another culture to broaden minds.
By analyzing the Kawaiisu, a Great Basin Native tribe, I want to explore cultural wonders and observe their society as I compare an aspect of interest with that of another culture in the world, the Chuuk. Comparing different societies of the world will allow me to successfully learn about the Kawaiisu people in a more detailed and open minded manner. Populations all around the world throughout time have had different views and traditions of beliefs. Through this project, I hope to unravel and gain an understanding of different perspectives and ways of life.
Over the course of the Spanish-American war , the obvious need for a canal came apparent.The canal would stregthen the navy, and it would make easier defense of the islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The problem of where to build the canal came into play. Congress rejected Nicaragua and Panama was an unwilling part of this project. The course of the building was shifted to Colu...
The Empowerment Project::The Panama Deception. (n.d.). The Empowerment Project::The Panama Deception. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.empowermentproject.org/pages/panama.html
Now you must know how they lived. What they lived in, how they built their homes, and such. U-ma-cha is the named of the home they lived in. Much like a "tee-pee", These homes were made of the thick bark of the Sequoia Redwoods. Mud and dirt was piled on the bottom of these homes, to keep water and rodents out, and heat in. They were at times coated with a layer of pine needles. About 8-15 feet in diameter, these homes were small. They did not bathe, but instead sat in sweat houses until they sweat the smell off and then ran out and jumped in a cold stream (Chilly Willy). Most slept on Deerskins, but a few slept on willow frames lifting them only inches from the ground, while the chief slept on a bearskin. The fire, at the center of each U-ma-cha, was used for cooking and heat. It was vital to have this fire burning constantly. There was also a ceremonial sweat house used for special ceremonies. This had a roof of 5 inches thick and was in the center of the village.
The culture and political structures of Panama as we know it today has evolved from an incredibly diverse and interesting history. Geographically, Panama lies on an isthmus, a strip of land that essentially connects the greater landmasses of North and South America. It is believed that volcanic activity in the late Pliocene era closed the former Central American Seaway that had separated the two continents. The climatic implications of this landform are incredible, allowing for the redistribution of oceanic currents and the formation of the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic of today.
One of the most disputed superimposed borders within Latin America is the Colombian-Nicaraguan dispute concerning sovereignty over the maritime features located between both countries in the Caribbean Sea. For 11 years, Nicaraguan lawyers have argued that nearly 50,000 square kilometers of Colombian sea in truth belonged to the Central American state. The area in question includes the archipielago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, a group of tropical islands surrounded by coral reefs. The archipielago is located 482 miles from the Colombian coast and just 140 from Nicaragua, but has been settled by Colombians since the 19th century.
During his research Barker utilizes a series of methods in his quest to understand these indigenous people, from this he was able to capture his readers and make them understand issues that surround not only people form third worlds; but how these people and their struggles are related to us. By using ethnographic methods, such as: interviews,participant observation, key consultants/informants,detailed note-taking/ census, and controlled historical comparisons. In these practices Barker came to understand the people and their culture, of which two things became a big subject in his book. The first being Tapa, “a type of fiber made from bark that the Maisin people use as a stable for cloths and other cloth related uses. Defining both gender roles and history; proving income and also a symbol of identity to the people” (Barker 5-6). And the other being their forest, of which logging firms the Maisin and Non Government Organizations (NGO’s), had various views, wants and uses for the land. Logging firms wished to clear the area to plant cash crops such as oil palms, while the NGO’s wanted the land to remain safe; all the while the Maisin people were caught in the middle by the want to preserve their ancestors lands and the desperate need to acquire cash. With these two topics highlighted throughout Barkers ethnography the reader begins is journey into understanding and obtaining questions surrounding globalization and undeveloped
6. Lewis M. Simons, Panama’s Rite of Passage and American Trade, National Geographic, November 1999.
In addition to collecting a comprehensive genealogy, he attempts to learn some vast aspects of the Ya̧nomamö culture such as their social organization, kinship and relationship-building practices (such as sharing food), internal politics, marriage system, and settlement patterns among others. As Chagnon learned through his research, the Ya̧nomamö have a relatively simple way of life that some might describe as ‘primitive’ or ‘tribal.’ However, even this easy lifestyle holds a complex set of traditions and social nuances that are only peculiar to an outsider. Despite their traditional lifestyle, the Ya̧nomamö usually work three hours a day to earn a living that may sustain their families, perhaps due to a shift towards urban settings and the acquisition of material possessions in tribal societies. They tend to be self-sustaining and are somewhat of an agrarian culture that is largely dependent on farming plantains and hunting animals.
This desert is in an arid area between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. This desert also lives on an alluvial plain. Furthermore, since its distance stretches four hundred kilometers South of Lima, the Pampas of Jumana covers about four hundred fifty square feet kilometers. Throughout all this land, one theory is believed to be that extraterrestrials left confused people when they came to visit earth and that is the myth on why the Nazca lines were created. Another theory is, believed that Nazca Indians and Lines appeared only after the visitors from other stars naturally visited on earth. The reason why this land is so fascinating is because no one really knows how the Nazca Indians appeared on the Peru desert, and why these Nazca Lines were created on this land. While living in the Peru desert the Nazca Indian grew crops from underground water sources traced on the land. Another way the crops received waters was when the Pacific Ocean’s morning mist wafted to the land, and the trees would trap the water mist in their leaves, so when there was no rain to fully water the lands, the trapped water mist in the trees leaves would water the crops. The Nazca Indians grew crops that highly dependent on water and many of these crops planted back then people eat still to this day. Based on iconography, excavated remains indicate that the Nazca people had a varied diet, composed of corn, squash, sweet, potato, yucca, ginger, banana, and even small traces of various fish. In addition, Na...