Figure 1.--This photograph from San Blas Island in Panama was taken in 1942, It shows a Kuna boy on horseback.

Central America in geographic terms is part of North America. Etnographic studies of North America commonly focus primarily on American and Canafian tribes and those of northern Mexico. Central America is often not considered. This is in part because American anthropolgists have focused primarily on those tribes found within the United Satates. Also the Maya dominated much of Central America. There was thus little room for other tribes in contrast to the situation in South and North America. One tribe that has survived is the Kunas in Panama. The Kuna Indians are a strongly-knit tribal society living on a chain of islands called San Blas Archipelago, on the Atlantic side of the Republic of Panama. Believed to be decendents of the Caribs, the Kuna Indians still live in much the same manner as their ancestors. The San Blas people have cleverly managed to retain their tribal identity and contentedly lead a moral balanced life, free from the complexities of modern, highly-organized societies. The Kuna have a matriachal society in which the line of inheritance passes through the women. A young man, after marriage, must live in his mother-in-law's house and work for several years under apprenticeship to his father-in-law. Divorce is uncommon, although it requires no more than the husband to gather his clothes and move out of the house. The daughters of the Kuna people are prized because they will eventually bring additional manpower into the family. Two tribes dominated the Caribbean--the Arawaks and the Caribs. They were desimated by the Spanish early in the colonial era.

Central America

Central America in geographic terms is part of North America. Etnographic studies of North America commonly focus primarily on American and Canafian tribes and those of northern Mexico. Central America is often not considered. This is in part because American anthropolgists have focused primarily on those tribes found within the United Satates. Also the Maya dominated much of Central America. There was thus little room for other tribes in contrast to the situation in South and North America. One tribe that has survived is the Kunas in Panama. The Kuna Indians are a strongly-knit tribal society living on a chain of islands called San Blas Archipelago, on the Atlantic side of the Republic of Panama. Believed to be decendents of the Caribs, the Kuna Indians still live in much the same manner as their ancestors. The San Blas people have cleverly managed to retain their tribal identity and contentedly lead a moral balanced life, free from the complexities of modern, highly-organized societies. The Kuna have a matriachal society in which the line of inheritance passes through the women. A young man, after marriage, must live in his mother-in-law's house and work for several years under apprenticeship to his father-in-law. Divorce is uncommon, although it requires no more than the husband to gather his clothes and move out of the house. The daughters of the Kuna people are prized because they will eventually bring additional manpower into the family.

Caribbean

The Caribbean was settled by three primary tribes: Chiboneys, Arawaks (Tainos), and the Caribs. The Chiboneys were the first known people to settle the Caribbean island (about 3,000 BC). They left little evidence in terms of cultural artifacts, so little is known about them. Next came the Arawaks who when the Europeans arrived were in the process of being overcome by the more war-like Caribs. Much more is known about the Arawaks and Caribs because they were thriving cultures present in the Caribban at the time of Columbus' arrival. The population of Native Americans is not known with any precession, but some historians estimate about 8 million people. The Spanish after the initial encounter began to enslave the Native Americans. The population collapsed. Some resisted, some commited suiside, and other died because of abuse after being enslaved. Probably even more important was their lack of resistance to European diseases. The Native Americans were within decaded desimated by the Spanish after the European discovery (1492). Practically no pure-blood native Ameicans survive in the Caribbeans, but as a result social interactions, some Caribbean people (especially in Cuba and the Dominican Republic) today have Native American features. A great deal of dishonesty exists in discussions of Caribbean Native Americans. Some authors ignore the Arawak displacement of the Chiboney and the Carib displacement of the Arawaks and only want to describe the European conquest of a peaceful, innocent people. Some authots will even group the Arawaks and Caribs together so they can more easily focus on the European conquest. While it is true that the European (mostly Spanish) treatment of the Caribbean Native Americans was a historical tragedy, in no way should the Caribs be idealized as a peaceful, innocent people.

Created: 5:52 AM 11/24/2006
Last updated: 5:39 AM 3/17/2008