Tropical Ecosystems and Indigenous Cultures
of Panama
Note: This is a special
two-week travel course. The course is open to all students, but students
enrolled in regular ITEC courses have priority.
Enrollment limit: 10 students. Course Dates: Summer A, June 12-25,
Winter Session, January 9-22.
 COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This is a unique
course that travels the length and breadth of Panama, offering a comprehensive,
firsthand experience with its diverse tropical ecosystems and cultures.
This mixing of culture and environment may seem at odds but it actually
mirrors the relationship between indigenous people and the natural
ecosystems on which they depend. Tropical ecosystems and cultures
are inextricably intertwined.
The course begins
with a one day of orientation at the Bocas del Toro Biological Station
where students receive lectures on the climate, geography, history,
ecosystems, and cultures of Panama, both past and present. While all
current cultures are examined, the focus is on Panama's indigenous
people which include the Ngöbe of the Chriqui highlands, the Emberá
of the Darien lowlands, and the Kuna of San Blas Archipelago. As we
travel all across Panama we will visit a myriad of ecosystems both
terrestrial and aquatic including lowland rain forest, cloud forest,
seasonal dry (deciduous) forest, swamps, xeric tropical scrub, mangrove
forests, beaches, sea grass beds, and coral reefs. Formal lectures
and informal talks while in the field will provide detailed information
on the ecology, fauna and flora of each ecosystem examined. The anthropological
portion of the course will be intertwined with our ecosystem survey,
and include archaeological sites, museums and living cultures. Important
archaeological sites include will the Caldera petroglyphs, the Barriles
de Volcán and Sarigua National Park to name a few. Along the way we
will spend considerable time with the three main indigenous people
of Panama. Our first encounter will be with the Ngöbe. The Ngöbe represent
the largest indigenous group in Panama and are known for their polygenous
life style, elaborate dress and "chacaras", or woven bags. We will
next spend a day and night in an Emberá village at Los Monos, Darien.
The Emberá are best known for their friendly, soft-spoken personalities,
carvings of tropical wood and seeds (tagua nut) and incredibly detailed
basketry. The course will end with four day stay with a Kuna family
on the island of Carti Tupile in San Blas. Here we will totally immerse
ourselves in Kuna culture. We will live in a traditional Kuna house,
dine on Kuna food and visit a variety of sites around San Blas. The
conditions are primitive with no running water. Finally, time will
also be spent visiting important historical landmarks such as the
Panama Canal, Panama Viejo, Castillo San Lorenzo at the mouth of the
Rio Chagres as well as museums and national parks.
This course
is demanding both academically and socially due to the nature of its
design. Interpersonal skills and patience are particularly useful.
Comparative projects and a final report that involves some aspect
of ecology, anthropology, or ethnobotany will be required in the course.
Tentative
Course Itinerary
-
Day 1.
Arrive at Bocas del Toro Biological Station in the morning. Examine
lowland rainforest in the late morning, orientation lectures on
the history, geology, climate, ecosystems and cultures in the afternoon
and evening.
-
Day 2.
Depart Bocas by boat to Almirante and then on to the Ngöbe village
of Pueblo Nuevo in ITEC's van. From the Caribbean side we climb
up into Chiriqui mountains to 4000 ft, stopping along the way to
try local food. We then descend into tropical dry forest habitat
on the Pacific side, visit the pre-Columbian petroglyphs and hot
springs in Caldera, and spend the night in the Hotel Quetzal, halfway
up 10,000 ft Vulcán Barú.
-
Day 3.
Rise early and hike into the cloud forest along the Quetzal Trail
near Cerro Punto where there is a good chance in spotting the resplendent
quetzal and many other bird species. In the afternoon, we visit
the Barriles de Volcán, the most important pre-Columbian archaeological
site in Panama. Afterwards, we drive on to the colonial town of
Santiago where we spend the night.
-
Day 4.
Visit Sarigua National Park in the morning, home to lower Central
America's only tropical scrub forest and one of the most spectacular
archaeological sites in Panama. In Sarigua, archaeological artifacts,
such as ornately decorated pottery shards, arrow points, mano and
matate pieces, jewelry, and bone literally litter the ground! In
the afternoon we visit the nearby towns of Parita and La Arena.
This part of the Azureo Peninsula represents the center of Panamanian
culture and art. In Parita we will view Spanish-styled architecture
and visit a 300 year-old church. We then go on to La Arena to see
(and buy?) ceramics and other art from the region. From here we
travel to the La Gorgona Resort on the Pacific Ocean where we will
spend the night.
-
Day 5.
Travel to El Valle de Antón, a village located in the caldera of
an extinct volcano. Here we visit a zoological park, and go horse-back
riding. In the afternoon, we travel to Panama City and check into
our hotel. In the late-afternoon we visit Cerro Ancon, a great place
to view toucans, agoutis, sloths, Geoffry's tamarin, and other wildlife,
as well as providing a spectacular panoramic view of Panama City
and the Panama Canal.
-
Day 6.
Visit various sites around Panama City including the Panama Canal,
Museum of Anthropology, Panama Viejo, Colonial Panama, and rest
up for our trip to the Darien.
-
Day 7.
Drive out to the Darien* where 85% of the primary forests still
remain. In the morning hike in this in this unique palm-laden forest
near Lake Bayano. Afterwards we continue on to the Emberá village
of Los Monos. We spend the afternoon visiting with the Emberá and
sleep that night in the house of the Cacique (chief).
-
Day 8.
Visit nearby Wonaan village (similar to Emberá), then travel back
to Panama City. Check into our hotel.
-
Day 9. In the
morning visit Pipeline Road. This tropical moist forest site is
well known as the best birding location in Panama, as well as an
excellent location to see cats, coatis, peccaries, tayras, and four
species of monkeys. In the afternoon we travel to the Caribbean
side of the isthmus to San Lorenzo, a colonial-era fortress located
high on a bluff overlooking the mouth of the Rio Chargres. Afterwards,
return to our hotel.
-
Day 10.
Free day. This day is yours to do anything you wish such as shopping,
adjusting airline tickets, etc. For those who wish to visit new
sites, a trip to the Pacific island of Tobago will be organized.
-
Day 11-13.
Fly from Panama City to Carti, San Blas Archipelago. We will stay
in the home of a Kuna family on the island of Carti. We will reside
in very rustic, authentic Kuna thatch-roofed dwellings, be immersed
in Kuna culture, sleep in hammocks and dine on traditional Kuna
cuisine such as fish, crab and lobster cooked in coconut milk. Carti
Tupile will be our center of activity. From here, we will view Kuna
dancing, meet in the Kuna congress house where chiefs gather each
night, visit Dog Island (excellent snorkeling on shipwreck and reef),
see several other Kuna villages, the sacred water fall accessible
only by river on the mainland, and a Kuna burial ground, among other
activities.
-
Day 14.
Travel to mainland and depart San Blas by airplane to Panama City,
check into our hotel. Spend remaining day shopping or in other activities.
* Although there
have been problems with Colombian drug traffickers on the border between
Panama and Colombia, we do not go anywhere near there. Los Monos is
in the western Darien, a whole day's journey from the border.
Last Updated 9 November, 2006
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