Kuna Individuals of Panama

Kuna or Cuna are the indigenous people of Panama and Columbia who have the estimated  population  of 55,000 majority of which is living in Panama. Most of them are located in the San Blas Archipelago (Kuna Yala) which is situated along Panama’s northeast coast. Rest of Kuna folks are settled in Darien province of Panama and a little number is in Colombia. The Kuna speak their own language known as ‘Tule‘ or ‘Dulegaya‘. Some of the Kuna people are also familiar with Spanish and even some with English.

Kuna Culture, Image from wikipedia

Even though the western influence and modernism has impacted in the lives of Kuna people but the great aspect  is that they have maintained and continued their classic living style and cultural values  within their own autonomous territory.

Just before the Spanish invasion the Kunas had been living in Colombian area of Uraba and close to the borders of  Antioquia and Caldas. Right after the Spanish subjugation they started to move to the  area where they are now settled Kuna Yala. At that time Panama was beneath the occupation of Spain and when Panama got freedom from Spain , the Kunas also started their struggle for their own autonomy. At last in 1925 they had been granted Comarca a semi-autonomous territory status comprising of  365 tiny coral islands of the Archipelago (San Blas) and two,357 km2 of coastal area in Darien. They had been offered the rights to forego with their standard living style below the jurisdiction of the federal Panama government.

The classic dressing of Kuna females consists of hand-made blouses identified as “molas” with skirts. Their dresses are sewn with a reverse appliqué technique. The women also colorize  their faces and noses with a specific paint which they prepare from achiote seeds. The Kuna males wear a conventional Kuna shirt with  pants, jeans, or shorts. The Kunas cultivate in their lands plantain, bananas, and avocados, among other fruits and some tuber plants like manioc and ñame. Their eating habits are also exclusive as  they really like to consume hunted food , a specific fish (Tilapia) and plantain.

Molas, Kuna Handicrafts, Image from 'naughty little epoch' blog

Tourism has remained the main economic supply for Kuna men and women but for the considerable financial development of Kunas the want of the day is to preserve their endangered heritage.  Kuna Yala has a fantastic tourism potential not only for the exclusive cultural habits of Kunas but also for the strategic place of San Blas islands. With tiny more efforts the lovely territory of Kunas  can be a travel destination of international magnitude.

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The Indigenous or Aboriginal Individuals of Australia

The biggest island the world, Australia was inhabited by the humans practically 45,000 years ago. That is why the indigenous tribes of Australia truly claim that they are the genuine survivors of Australia. They really owe Australia along with their magnificent culture and have competed with all-natural disasters and calamities over thousands of years.

Yolngo folks of Australia performing their conventional dance ( Image: Andrew )

They had been bruised, they have been thrashed and they have been banged by the invaders and the colonizers. The only motive behind that was to uphold the racial discrimination. This predicament became worse right after the arrival of the white people in Australia and they entirely misjudged the aboriginal cultural values of the indigenous people of Australia.

The Australian Aboriginals. Image: Rusty Stewart

Out of the total population of the indigenous or aboriginal individuals of Australia, most of them live in the eastern parts of the continent. 63% of Indigenous people reside in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria although Western Australia and the Northern Territory contribute only 28% of the Indigenous population. In Australia they are mainly referred as the aboriginal Australians and the word Indigenous for them is largely disliked. There had been far more than 250 languages spoken by Indigenous Australians before the arrival of Europeans. But most of them are becoming extinct now and presently only 12-15 languages are being utilised by the aboriginal or indigenous men and women of Australia. The aboriginal or indigenous folks of Australia are divided in numerous regional groups. Some of the indigenous or aboriginal folks groups of Australia incorporate Koori, Murri, Tiwi , Palawah, Anangu, Nunga and Wangai etc.

The Aboriginal Australians performing Woggan-ma-gule ( Image: Tracey Johns )

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Massai Individuals of East Africa

The Massai people possessing an estimated population of 900,000 dwelling in Kenya and the northern parts of Tanzania are regarded to be the most properly known ethnic group of Africa. They are so distinctive in their traditions, customs and dressings and known as Nilotic ethnic group. Despite of the several efforts of the governments of Kenya and Tanzania to alter their perambulatory life styles, they are continuing their ancient customs. They are distinguished in the globe for their horrific warrior characteristic and cattle desperados.

Dance of Massai Warriors

The Massai are monotheistic, and they worship Enkai or Engai. Acceding to their beliefs Engai is a single deity of twofold dispositions.  Engai Narok (Black God) is beneficent, and Engai Nanyokie (Red God) is of retaliating nature. The “Mountain of God”, Ol Doinyo Lengai, is situated in northernmost Tanzania. The Massai are also prominent in all ethnic groups of the globe for their byzantine jewelry. The clothing of Massai is also idiosyncratic and it is known as Matavuvale.

The most respectable Massai is considered due to his number of his kids and cattle in his herd. This is also the simple source of their economy. They have the strong beliefs that God blessed them with all the cattle in the world and to rob the cattle from the other tribes is their invulnerable correct. There is no standard burial tradition of a dead Massai and they preserve the dead physique open for vultures in an open space soon after covering it with the fat and blood of a slaughtered bull.

An additional distinctive function of Massai folks is their music and classic jumping dances. The whole show is displayed by vocalists singing with each other but the primary melodies are sung by a song leader.  The lyrics of such song carry standard theme and they also move their necks while singing and it is obtaining a huge polyphonic impression.

The Massai also have the custom of modifying their bodies. Specially the piercing of earlobes is really frequent amongst them. To do this they use diverse tools like thorns for piercing, twigs, bundles of twigs, stones, the cross section of elephant tusks and empty film canisters. The Massai females use chaplets and beaded necklaces in their pierced ears. The head shaving of Massai is also an inherent practice prior to getting into into a marital partnership. Apart from warrior neighborhood of Massai who hold longer hair for their recognition the regular Massai hold quite brief hair.

 

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