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About
the Wounaan
The Wounaan are one of seven indigenous peoples in Panama. For centuries,
the Wounaan lived as semi-nomadic forest dwellers that hunted and fished.
Today, they still live a traditional lifestyle in the Panamanian rainforest,
and their culture centers around family, nature, and craftsmanship; however,
the Wounaan are not strangers to modern culture. A well-known Wounaan,
Manuel Antonio Zarco, taught U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong, John Glenn,
and Gordon Cooper survival skills in the jungles of Panama in the 1950s.
In 1958, Zarco settled his family on the shores of Lake Gatún and
established an Emberá-Wounaan community, and his descendents live
in the village of San Antonio today.
Wounaan’s elaborate handicrafts are in demand worldwide. It is believed
that they were the original basket weavers and wood carvers in the region.
The Wounaan carve intricate animal sculptures out of the rich red-brown
wood of the tropical tree cocobolo. For centuries they traveled the river
in a narrow dugout canoe called a piragua, carved out of a single large
tree trunk. Today, the Wounaan remain master navigators and take visitors
on piragua excursions on the Chagres River.
Wounaan Tourism Committee
The Wounaan retain a close relationship with the nearby Emberá village,
and like the Emberá, the Wounaan community formed its own Tourism
Committee in 2002 to develop sustainable ecotourism that will support the
village. The Wounaan’s expertise in rainforest wildlife and botany
as well as their tradition of handicrafts makes ecotourism a n�?atural
fit for community development.
The Tourism Committee works with several tour operators who bring visitors
into the village to experience authentic village life. Visitors to the
village can:
Listen to story telling about the Wounaan village and history
Watch and even participate in traditional dances and musical performances
Take a scenic boat trip up the Chagres River in the traditional piragua
canoe
Go on a guided nature hike along the Chagres River
Take lessons on the uses of herbs and medicinal plants
Shop for artisans’ handicrafts
Overnight stays in the village can be arranged through a tour operator.
Additional activities can also be arranged as requested.
Practical Information
The village San Antonio-Wounaan is located 45 minutes away from Panama City
in the Soberanía National Park in Gamboa on the shore of Lake Gatún.
LJTo contact the Wounaan Tourism Committee, telephone 507-6706-3031 or 507-6603-3669. |
