The San Blas Islands (Kuna Yala)

After leaving Cartagena, we went to some offshore islands called the Rosarios. Here, the waters were clean and the Captain could don his SCUBA gear and give the bottom a good cleaning. There was also a nice aquarium and a private bird collection that was really remarkable for the quantity and variety of bird life the owner had acquired.

At the Rosarios, we met Canadian cruisers Dave and Valerie aboard Angel and we decided to make the passage to Panama and some of the San Blas together. They are a delightful couple and are also heading around the world in their boat. It turned out that we spent the majority of January traveling together.

We had an overnight trip from Columbia to the far southeastern portion of the San Blas Islands of Panama. This area is home to the Kuna Indians and is called Kuna Yala by the natives. The villages are matriarchical and each village has a chief called a Saila. We chose to visit the far southeastern portion since they are not frequently visited by cruising yachts and have been less affected (i.e.contaminated) by modern cultures.

The Kuna are famous for the Molas they make to wear and to sell. They are intricate layers (up to 5) of material that are cut out and stitched in very detailed patterns. Some of the Molas depict Kuna life such as their ceremonies and traditions and some depict the creatures that live in and around their island homes. Almost all the Kuna women spend most of their days cooking or making molas. The men work fields of coconuts, pineapple or sugarcane in the mountains or fish the waters for lobster, crab and fish.

One home in each village will make Kuna bread for the entire village and wandering through the villages, it is not hard to smell which hut has the daily duty. We would buy 12 to 15 small baguettes for less than $3 US every 3 or 4 days and usually they were still warm from the fire. (Yes, Panama uses the American dollar as their currency)

Isla Pinos – We met our first Kuna, David, and he took us through the village, brought us bread and led us on a hike up the hillside to a communication tower. Climbing the tower yielded nice views of the island and our anchorage. He even came on our boat and made us all coconut rice which we all enjoyed.

Mamitupu – This was a traditional village and we stayed here for several days. We met the Saila and we presented him with a bag of Emily’s clothes and swim fins that she had grown out of. They were very appreciative and several of the Kuna boys swam out to our boat and played with us in the water during our stay.

We were there over a weekend and we asked if we could attend their church services. We somehow made it up and dingyed to the island for their 7:00 AM children’s service that was really special. The Chaplin had Emily in the front of the church and explained (in Spanish) all about us and our trip. With my limited Spanish I understood that he told them that even though our skin was lighter than theirs, and Emily at nine years old towered over the other children, that we were all the same in God’s eyes. He prayed for our safety on our trip and we were welcomed into the village. When he was done, each of the children came up and shook Emily’s hand and said hello. It was very moving and will not be soon forgotten. After the services, Emily played several games with the other children and was welcomed by all.

Snug Harbor & Isla Tigre – These were one night stops and were typical Kuna Islands. We enjoyed seeing the Kunas sailing and paddling their dugout canoes (or Ulus) back and forth to harvest coconuts or sugarcane or trade between islands. It was amazing to see how effective their hand made sails were and how the young Kuna children mastered these tipsy craft. One day a Kuna boy of no more than 4 was alone in a large Ulu and being driven away from the island by the 20 knot winds. Tears were streaming down his face and I rescued him with our dingy and towed him back to the village. There is a fine line between observing a culture and interfering with it. I have no idea whether I had fouled up a disciplinary action or a learning lesson, but I do know that the boy seemed very grateful.

Green Island – This is the first of the well traveled Kuna Islands and we re-connected with several of our cruising friends by VHF radio here.

Lemmon Cays – We rushed to this island to meet up with the crews of Whiskers and Bristol Rose . We had a campfire on the beach and cooked our dinners on the uninhabited island. After dinner, hermit crab races were held and we were all winners. Emily had a blast!

We drifted back and forth among these islands with names like Banedup in the Eastern Holandes Cays, Tiadup in the Coco Bandero Cays, Salardup, Los Grullos, Gunboat Island, Carti, Islas Robeson and Chichime.

In Islas Robeson, we took a guided tour inland up a river and then a 7 mile hike to a mountain Kuna village. Along the way, we saw beautiful butterflies, birds and tiny little tree frogs. Bredio was our Kuna guide and we gave him more children’s clothes for his children. We were honored when he gave a mola from his family to ours. In the early evening, he took Emily and his son for a sail in his Ulu. These are a kind and gentle people and their diminutive size belie the size of their hearts.

Tom