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Indigenous Panamanian Foodways

Indigenous

⚠ PANAMA HAS COMARCAS — Indigenous territories with their own governance, which the canonical geography holds as first-level units alongside the provinces, and this system files them that way. GUNA YALA: the GUNA on some 350 islands and the adjacent mainland of the Caribbean coast, politically autonomous after the 1925 revolution, with coconut as currency and food, fish, plantain, cassava, and TULE MASI, the coconut-milk fish and plantain soup. NGÖBE-BUGLÉ: the largest Indigenous population, in the western highlands and across into Costa Rica, with maize, beans, plantain, rice, cacao, and seasonal labour on the coffee harvest. EMBERÁ-WOUNAAN: two peoples of the DARIÉN rainforest, riverine, with plantain as the staple, fish, game, palm fruits and cassava. NASO TJËR DI: the Naso of Bocas del Toro, who retain a monarchy and whose comarca was created only in 2020.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Guna community documented
  • Ngäbe community documented
  • Buglé community documented
  • Emberá community documented
  • Wounaan community documented
  • Naso community documented

Languages: San Blas Kuna, Border Kuna, Ngäbere, Buglere, Emberá-Catío, Woun Meu, Teribe

What is recorded

  • Panamanian comarcas are Indigenous territories with their own governance and are held in the canonical geography as first-level administrative units alongside provinces; this system files them accordingly. Guna Yala obtained autonomy following the 1925 Guna revolution. The Ngäbe-Buglé comarca holds the largest Indigenous population. The Naso Tjër Di comarca was established in 2020. The Naso retain a monarchy. documented
  • The Guna revolution leads to recognition of Guna autonomy, the basis of the comarca of Guna Yala. documented
  • The comarca Naso Tjër Di is created, giving the Naso a recognised territory. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • related to Emberá and Wounaan Foodways documented

    ⚠ The Emberá and Wounaan live on both sides of the Darién Gap; the border is not a cultural one.

Recorded as relating to this foodway

  • related to Indigenous Costa Rican Foodways documented

    Ngäbe, Buglé, Naso/Teribe and Bribri live across the Costa Rica-Panama border; the peoples are not divided by it.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.