With such  photogenic  scenery and the diversity of the Kuna way of life there is no shortage of great photos to choose from.

However, the Kuna do not like to have their photos taken and even when we snapped a group of little kids who asked to have the photo taken

a village elder came and asked us to delete the shots from the camera, therefore there are few if any photos of the Kuna men women or children,

which is a real shame as they are a happy, smiling group of people, the women wearing their colourful molas, skirts and ankle jewellery,

the little kids usually naked or just wearing shorts and the men in shorts, T shirts and a baseball cap.

The villages are usually fairly clean and orderly with huts built within family compounds, usually on the windward side of the island to get the benefit of the cooling trade winds

but with bamboo fencing around to shield them from the stronger gusts.

In some of the smaller islands space is tighter and some houses are built over the sea on stilts as are the self cleaning pens for the family pig.

On some of the islands there are one or two concrete block buildings, usually housing the school.

The Kuna men row across early each morning to the mainland where they farm small plots of land with fruit and vegetables.

They then row back around lunchtime with their dugout canoes laden with produce or with the coconuts that they use as the basis

of their economy, all coconut trees being owned by individual Kuna’s. Most of these trees are located on the 350 plus offshore islands

and therefore Kunas are great sailors, either by paddling their “ulas” , canoes cut by hand from the trees.

Or by jury rigging simple but effective sails, some like this one in better condition than others.

With a special paddle used for as both a rudder and a keel to reduce leeway

The kids start very young and there is none of the ridiculous PC that stunts kids development and keeps them sat indoors staring at computers

and video games.

Although the boys and men of families will work together to harvest their crops the men of the village also work together for the common good

As when fishing from the shore. The younger men also dive for Lobster, King crabs and Octopus and the canoes come alongside to sell these to cruisers.

Although the mainland is close to most islands and some villages are located along the shore it is mostly jungle and road communications are almost

non existent. Therefore the Kuna rely on Colombian trading boats that  come up the 100 mile coastline and exchange foodstuffs, petrol, oil and all manner

of other goods in exchange for the coconuts, lobster, crabs, etc. These rough cut vessels are usually heavily laden and many have been known to sink in

the rougher seas beyond the outer reefs.

Global warming is a serious threat to the Kuna way of life with a number of islands having already disappeared beneath the waves and villages

abandoned as the sea level rises. Even the uninhabited islands are affected as the higher salinity kills off the coconuts and therefore their source

of income with mangroves trees appearing along the shore as nature adapts to these changes.