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Lifeways/Cultures
The Wounaan and Embera People and Their Baskets
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The Embera and Wounaan Indians of Panamá’s Darién Rainforest are a beautiful, warm-hearted and talented people living mainly in small villages along rivers isolated from the cosmopolitan city bearing its country's name. About 6,000 Wounaan deal daily with the effects of a rapidly encroaching modern world, yet actively maintain their cultural identity. |
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These weavers of world-class, magical and spiritually inspired baskets, which rival the finest produced anywhere, are patient artisans whose spectacular decorative and collectible masterpieces may take over a year to complete. |
| Bundled fibers from the nahuala bush form the coils around which are sewn threadlike strands of sun-bleached "chunga," fiber from the black palm, boiled - sometimes for days with plant dyes (leaves, flowers, fruits, or roots) to achieve an array of natural colors. Twenty-two have been documented to date, and weavers continuously experiment to find new and deeper colors. |
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Wounaan and neighboring Embera baskets are literally sewn with a needle, not woven in the traditional sense, allowing for exceptionally fine and tight construction. |
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