Panama information by area San Blas Kuna Indians

Bocas el Toro | Canal Zone Panama City | Comarca Ngobe-Bugle| Colon| San Blas Kuna | Kuna | Embera Wounaan| Darien |Panama |Cocle |Herrera |Los Santos |Coiba Island | Pearl Islands|Veraguas | Chiriqui

Head of Province: El Porvenir
Population:  32,446 inhabitants (2000 census)
Surface:
Coastal Area: Caribbean Sea
Major Islands: None, but lots of tiny islands/atolls in the archipielago.

To begin with San Blas is not really a province, it has always been a territory, the Kuna territory (Comarca de San Blas in Spanish). The Kunas call it Kuna Yala . Kuna Yala, or San Blas is a relatively narrow strip of land that extends about one third of the northern (Atlantic) coast of Panama. Although they belong to the republic of Panama (and abide to its laws), they are also (semi)autonomous meaning they have their own tribal chiefs and conduct things like they have for thousands of years. This has been like that since their rebellion in 1925.

San Blas is also an archipielago, there are enough little islands there to last you a year!. The Kunas live on these little islands but during the day the men go out to sea for fishing, as well as to mainland Kuna Yala/San Blas to engage in horticulture and other activities. The Kunas, like most indigenous people of the americas, suffered decimation by the hands of the Spanish conquerors, for that reason they often sought alliance with the English. This behaviour continued in modern days when they would prefer to work in the Canal Zone for the North Americans.

San Blas Indian women look almost too good to be true. In fact, some visitors to San Blas are moved to suspect that, once the tourists have gone, the Indian women will change out of their tribal finery and catch a plane back to town.
There is, however, no catch. The San Blas woman wears as everyday dress, her appliqued Mola blouse, gold rings, long skirt, red and yellow headdress and beads or gold ornaments at neck, arm and ankle.