Indigenous Communities in Panamá

Learn about tradition and nature through the eyes of Panamá’s 7 indigenous communities. Most of them live in protected territories, located all over the country. In these, Panamá’s 7 native ethnic groups (Guna, Teribe, Buglé, Ngäbe, Naso, Emberá and Wounaan) practice ancestral forms of government, preserve dances and songs, and hold on to their deep cosmological beliefs and cultural expressions. 

The Panamanian indigenous communities are composed of expert craftsmen who produce exquisite wood carvings, wonderful miniatures from the hard-ivory palm seed, beautiful baskets, masks, bags woven with vegetable fiber and colorful clothes like the Mola.

It is possible to visit them whether their location is by the sea, like the Gunas, in high mountains, like the Ngäbe, or nestled deep into the rainforest like the Emberá. These indigenous communities enjoy sharing their culture with visitors on an equal basis.