San Blas Islands - 09:30.6N 78:37.0W
Seaflute
Sat 25 Mar 2017 18:04
sedate. We sailed away with winds of fifteen knots on the beam and moderate
seas. Two days later having timed our arrival to ensure good light, the
coast of Panama began to emerge from the early morning haze. Our destination
, the San Blas archipelago, which is a string of three hundred and forty
small islands along the Panamanian coast and home to the indigenous Guna
indians. Some islands are just several hundred metres offshore and some up
to twenty miles. The whole area is covered in shallow coral reefs and most
islands are ringed with their own "house" reefs. This would always make for
exacting navigation but add the fact that this area is virtually uncharted
and the chartplotter data on our vessel proved at times to read half a mile
out, mark one eye ball became the primary navigation tool. Because of this
we slowed our approach to allow the sun to rise high enough for the reefs to
be visible (thank God for polarized sun glasses) as we navigated the
channels between them. Our chosen destination was Green Island which sits
behind a substantial reef which affords it great protection from the ocean
swell. Within minutes of anchoring some Gunas from the nearest Island had
paddled out in their dugout canoes (Ulu's) to welcome us with a smile and
enquire if we required any fruit or fish. The Gunas are tiny people (the
second smallest race in the world) with boundless energy, fiercely proud and
protective of their way of life. There is obviously a happy union between
the Indians and the few cruisers that visit these islands, but it is
essential you respect certain protocols to preserve this peace. As a visitor
you are not allowed to SCUBA dive, spear fish or fish by any other method.
The most serious transgression is to pick up a coconut, even if it's
floating in the sea, as these will all belong to one of the Indians and are
a major source of income for them. The nation of Guna Yala (the Indians
don't like the name San Blas, as it was given to them by the Spanish
Conquistadors) has a population of 55,000 which is ten percent of what it
was before they were slaughtered by the Spanish invaders. They chose to live
on the islands to escape the threats from the Spanish, other tribes and the
wild animals that inhabit the mainland, which still has some of the most
unexplored rainforest on the planet. Guna Yala is officially part of Panama
but they have autonomous rule which has enabled them to preserve their
simple way of life which is pretty much unchanged from the time Vasco Nunez
de Balboa arrived with an invasion force in the seventeen hundreds. They
have a strictly structured hierarchy but are also a matrilineal society. The
women choose to marry when they feel ready and will choose their own
husbands. The husband will then move into the woman's family compound. There
is virtually no crime in Guna Yala and any misdemeanours are dealt with
uncompromisingly by the Saila's who are the regional chiefs and who all the
village elders report to. The Saila's are also the spiritual leaders and
responsible for preserving the medicinal knowledge and traditional Guna way
of life. We got a very good insight into this by chatting to a few of the
vendors who could speak some English. A lovely chap called Vanancio is one
of the top Mola makers in the islands. Mola's are brightly
coloured,intricately embroidered cloths and garments depicting Guna legends,
fish, plants and animals from the forest. The older women in the villages
still wear these garments and all the women wear them for festivals and
special occasions. So Vanancio whilst plying his wares spent a long time
with us aboard explaining much about the Guna way of life. I enquired if
it's possible to explore the mainland at all whilst here and he quickly
suggested his brother Idalfonso could help and would certainly organise a
boat for the occasion. We gathered several other eager participants from
the other Oysters now anchored around the Cocos Banderos Cays and the
following morning we set off to an anchorage near the mainland. Idalfonso
came out in his boat to greet us and jumped aboard to act as pilot as we
manoeuvred around the reefs into the anchorage. It's interesting to note how
I put so much trust in someone I'd never met before and probably had no
experience of thirty five tonne yachts with a two point five metre draft!
But sure enough we arrived safely and dropped the hook.
Idalfonso discussed arrangements for the following day and dropped in that
it may be possible to visit a neighbouring inhabited village who were having
a Chicha ceremony the following day. I had read about this ceremony in one
of the guides we had on board and was very excited about the prospect of
witnessing it first-hand. In essence each village will have a Chicha
ceremony twice a year where the young women commit to the Guna way of life
and make a declaration to marry a Guna but with no commitment to any
timescale. The elders, Sailas and shamen all hold court in what sounded like
a very formal occasion. The Chicha itself is made from fermented sugar cane
prepared up to one month in advance. It is highly potent and is a very
important part of the ritual.
The Oyster gang all agreed this was too good an opportunity to miss. We were
collected the following morning in two boats. Each about four metres long
with fifty horsepower outboards. One was slightly posher than the other so
the girls were given this ride. Anyway it didn't matter much it was only a
short distance away!!! Once all twenty of us were aboard both boats we were
handed a series of token lifejackets to wear. To say they were of dubious
quality would be generous. I think all twenty jackets bundled together would
be capable of supporting one person. We were also handed a sheet of clear
polythene to hold up to shield us from the spray. Now, how is it that half a
dozen responsible skippers who will have paid a fortune to make their
vessels as safe as possible, will happily jump into a rickety old boat with
more holes than a colander, no safety equipment or radios ....and pay for
the privilege. Still it's only a short trip! So off we go at one hundred
miles an hour. The slam of the boat as it hit the waves was shocking, you
had to take great care not to bite your tongue each time it slammed, but
still, ... it's only a short trip! One hour later....we arrived, I felt as
though I'd been ten rounds with Mike Tyson, I was drenched to the skin and
my eyes were bloodshot from the spray of sea water that had been blasting in
my face the whole way. Our driver was very happy and smiled and sang the
whole way there. I think he secretly thought this was fantastic sport. We
were met at the jetty by a few of the locals who were very friendly but told
us in no uncertain terms that we were not to take photographs or video under
any circumstances. We were led by Idalfonso through a maze of simple wooden
huts. Lots of children emerged from the huts as we passed and happily
skipped along with us. They were very pleased to receive some sweets we had
brought along and word soon spread that these strange foreigners bore gifts
and the throng of children grew quite quickly. As we neared the centre of
the village the noise from the congreso which is essentially the town hall
was quite deafening. We were shown through one of the entrances into the
dark interior. As our eyes became accustomed to the dark and the thick smoke
it became apparent the building was divided into two halves, the womenfolk
in one end all drinking copious amounts of cheap rum and smoking cigarettes,
permitted on special occasions only. In the other end the menfolk were
gathered around the Sailas who lay in hammocks smoking some substances and
drinking Chicha. This will have been going on for many hours by this point
and they were now able to communicate easily with the spirit world. Around
them were seated the Argars, they are essentially interpreters and relay the
messages to the congregation gathered around. There was an occasional loud
exclamation that was met with raucous response, so there was obviously still
some substance to their rantings. Generally, everyone was very very drunk
and seemed to be having a lovely time. Not unlike Friday night at the
Wheatsheaf! All joking aside, despite the very uncomfortable boat ride, it
was a massive privilege to witness something like this first hand, a real
insight into a very different culture. The following morning when Idalfonso
joined me on Sea Flute for a can of Coke and boy do the Guna do like a can
of Coke. I was also negotiating with him to buy the paddle from his canoe
which was a lovely hand cut purposeful design and it led into a conversation
about "Nuchu" which I had read about. Nuchu are wooden figurines that are
given to each Guna when they are born. They supposedly embody the spirit of
the person, their ancestors and carry great power. If a Guna becomes ill,
their relatives will take their Nuchu to the Shamen for healing. Idalfonso
is a very intelligent individual, possessor of not one, but two mobile
phones, a twenty five horsepower Yamaha outboard engine and a handbag full
of twenty dollar bills. He spoke to me in whispers about his family's
Nuchus, how I could never touch any of them because I had white skin and was
not of Guna heritage, but also how some were kept in special boxes because
their spirits were evil and these boxes can never be opened. I eventually
became the proud possessor of two canoe paddles for the princely sum of
twenty dollars and two cans of Coke (not counting the two he consumed during
the negotiation). I was very sorry to say goodbye to my new friend and would
have loved to talk to him more about his life and family. Lindy sent him off
with some crayons and colouring books for his children who came back later
with him in his boat to shout "nueddy, nueddy" (thank you, thank you). Lindy
was very pleased to be among the Gunas as it's the only time she has ever
been the tallest person in a gathering!
I haven't said much about the islands themselves but a picture paints a
thousand words and there are no superlatives to do them justice. I really
hope the Gunas can preserve this beautiful environment and their way of life
for a long time to come and thank goodness we had to time to explore. A good
number of the Oyster fleet gathered at various anchorages around Coco
Banderos, Lemon Cays and Hollandaise Cays and needless to say there were the
usual shenanigans and beach Barbie's a plenty (with lobsters at $2 each why
wouldn't you). We were very sad to eventually wave goodbye to San Blas and
our new found friends to sail off to Shelter Bay and prepare for our Panama
Canal transit.
All for now (thank god you may say!)
Skipper Peds and all aboard Sea Flute
