Saving the Guna Yala

International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2013

Indigenous people in Panama do not enjoy full autonomy within their comarcas (traditional land reserves): they only control surface resources, while the state retains control of underground resources. This article analyses direct action by the Ngäbe-Buglé, who successfully defeated the latest attempt by the government to exploit underground resources within their comarcas. It describes government strategies for retaining control over Indigenous people's land and analyses how the Ngäbe-Buglé counteracted these strategies with support from burgeoning civil society movements. We argue that this is due to an unprecedented alliance between Indigenous people and other social movements in Panama, as well as to the fact that Indigenous people have succeeded in federating all major civil society organizations around their discourses and actions.

The Caribbean archipelago is a series of independent island nations and overseas departments, territories, colonies, or commonwealths of developed countries. About 250 generations of human occupation in the Caribbean have produced a blend of traditions sometimes called a ‘‘cultural kaleidoscope.’’ Eight thousand years of shifting cultural identities are recorded in archaeological, architectural, documentary, and ecological records, and in memories and oral traditions known as ‘‘heritagescapes.’’ Caribbean heritagescapes are increasingly threatened by a combination of socioeconomic needs of modern society, ineffective governmental oversight, profit-driven multinational corporations, looters, and natural environ- mental processes. Balancing the needs of society against the protection and management of heritage requires careful thought and measured dialogue among competing stakeholders. Here we review the status of heritage in the Caribbean and offer a way forward in managing a diminishing supply of heritage resources in the face of current socioeconomic demands, and the unique legislative environments of independent island nations and overseas possessions of developed countries.

Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology, 2022

Anthropologies of Our Caribbean Sea of (Is)lands [A sea of islands] is a more holistic perspective in which things are seen in the totality of their relationships.-Epeli Hau' ofa (1993) Anniversaries, if commemorated, can connect the past, present, and future. This year, we celebrate the fifteenth year anniversary of JLACA's name change from JLAA to the present title, thus marking the official inclusion of the Caribbean within its purview. As Guest Editors for this In-Focus Issue on Caribbean Anthropology, or rather the plural Caribbean Anthropologies (Papailias and Gupta 2021; Valladares and Igreja 2021), we are pleased to inaugurate this collection of scholarly works with this Introduction. The concept for this issue was the brainchild of Quetzil Castañeda, JLACA Editor-in-Chief from 2018 to 2022. He assembled us as a crew of Guest Editors, explained to us the expectations, and authorized us to set sail on what was to become a two-year voyage. 1 Though Castañeda trusted our judgment, he always made sure he kept current with the issue's development. In advocating for and helping bring the issue to fruition, he demonstrated his respect for institutional memory. In celebrating the Caribbean in the Journal as a non-Caribbeanist, he eschewed the parochialism rampant in area studies in the Americas. By including a junior scholar (a person of color) as a guest editor, he encouraged active incorporation of younger, more diverse Caribbeanist anthropologists. This anniversary issue indeed shows reason to celebrate and give thanks. 2 Retrospective regret can occur after finalizing a publication just as well as upon leaving the field, as our experience taught us. As we reviewed the "World Anthropology" section of American Anthropologist from its inception in 2013 to the present, only one issue (vol. 121, no. 3) concentrated on the Caribbean (i.e., Cuba). Within the rest of the series, the coverage of the Americas heavily favors Brazil and Argentina, perhaps due in part to their robust institutional support for the discipline. Consequently, from early in our planning, the editorial group wanted to use the Anniversary Issue to promote JLACA as a venue where Caribbeanists from

ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH, 2020

On the reef flat adjacent to the volcanic islands, the Yapese developed a harmonious, sustainable system of fishing that incorporated spiritual, social, cultural and environmental connectivity and awareness. This is of particular importance to the inshore fishery, which is a sensitive region for fish breeding, which needs to be well conserved, maintained and not overfished. The Yapese employed a number of cultural practices (intangible cultural heritage) related to fishing, and created a number of tangible cultural heritage, and together they form the Yapese coastal cultural landscape. This system employed the use of tidal stone-walled fish weirs, called aech. This paper and the presentation highlight the value of the Yapese fish weirs and how they, and the associated intangible cultural heritage can be used to assist modern-day approaches to marine ecological conservation, in addition to keeping traditional sustainable fishing practices alive. The presentation also highlights how maritime anthropology research can assist countries in their Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14: Life below Water.

Overview of the underwater cultural heritage of the Latin American and Caribbean region and the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the UNESCO Journal "Culture & Development" (nº 13, 2015) focused on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage.

In this article we discuss the interest of the Emberá (an Amerindian indigenous group) in collecting knowledge about material remains of the past—such as colonial and pre-colonial ceramic fragments – that are easily found in Eastern Panama. We situate this interest of the Emberá (and their desire to learn more about the past) within the context of indigenous tourism, which has inspired the articulation of new narratives about Emberá history and identity. In addition, the accidental discovery by the Emberá of ceramic fragments from past periods has instigated and facilitated archaeological investigation, a process that resulted in a reciprocal exchange of knowledge between the Emberá and the academic investigators. Such a reciprocal relationship, we argue, can contribute towards the decolonisation of archaeology, create synergies between anthropology and archaeology, and enhance indigenous representation in tourism.

Guardians of Heritage: Protecting the Cultural Legacy of the Gullah Geechee Nation, Indigenous Communities, Blake Plateau, and Gray's Reef, 2024

On Saint Helena Island, the heart of the Gullah Geechee Nation pulses with a sacred connection to the land and sea, integral to their cultural heritage and spirituality. This bond is exemplified in the term "Sumange," which embodies reunion, community, and the sharing of knowledge. The Gullah Geechee's relationship with the Atlantic Ocean has historically supported subsistence practices and trade, yet areas like Blake's Plateau and Gray's Reef face increasing threats from climate change and human activities. Designating these ecologically significant areas as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is urgent to protect marine biodiversity and the cultural ties that Indigenous communities, including the Gullah Geechee, share with the ocean. Blake's Plateau, home to the world’s largest deep-sea coral habitat, supports diverse marine life and is crucial for maintaining the health of the Atlantic ecosystem. However, it is currently vulnerable due to limited protection and the impacts of economic interests and environmental degradation. Both Blake's Plateau and Gray's Reef hold deep cultural significance for various Indigenous communities, including the Gullah Geechee, Guale, and Timucua, emphasizing the need for conservation that respects these historical connections. Advocating for the MPA designation of these areas not only aims to mitigate the ecological impacts of climate change but also honors the cultural heritage that shapes the identities of coastal Indigenous peoples. This paper, produced in collaboration with Goldwater Ventures and the Healthy Ocean Coalition, will outline the ecological and cultural importance of Blake's Plateau and Gray's Reef, make a case for MPA designation, and discuss community involvement in this vital conservation effort. By safeguarding these marine environments, we ensure the survival of critical ecosystems while preserving the profound cultural narratives that connect Indigenous communities to the sea.

Sustainability, 2010

This paper is about the traditional people of Barbados and The Bahamas, in the Caribbean and their sustainable adaptations to the littoral, which included both marine and terrestrial components. Traditional people are defined as having lived in a sustainable way in an environment for five generations, the littoral is described here as an ecological zone at the sea's edge, which is composed of hundreds of medicine and food plants and animals, and resilient adaptations are understood with the environmental multiplicity model. The analysis is based on more than a thousand site intercept interviews conducted by the authors and their research teams. These data argue that culturally based patterns of sustainable food use and environmental preservation can be understood from generations of successful adaptations of traditional people.

Coral Reefs, 2004

Most of the knowledge of the reef geomorphology and benthic communities of Kuna Yala coral reefs (Caribbean Panama) comes from the western side of the archipelago, a few tens of kilometers around Punta San Blas (Porvenir). To bridge the gap between Porvenir and the Colombia-Panama border, we investigated with Landsat images the extent and geomorphological diversity of the entire Kuna Yala to provide geomorphologic maps of the archipelago in 12 classes. In addition to remote sensing data, in situ survey conducted in May-June 2001 provided a Kuna Yala-wide first synoptic vision of reef status, in terms of benthic diversity (number of species of coral, octocorals, and sponges) and reef health (coral versus algal cover). For a total reef system estimated to cover 638 km 2 along 480 km of coastline, 195 km 2 include coral dominated areas and only 35 km 2 can be considered covered by corals. A total of 69 scleractinian coral, 38 octocoral, and 82 sponge species were recorded on the outer slopes of reef formations, with a slightly higher diversity in the area presenting the most abundant and diverse reef formations (western Kuna Yala). Attempts to relate benthic diversity and geomorphological diversity provided only weak relationships regardless of the taxa, and suggest that habitat heterogeneity within geomorphological areas explain better the patterns of coral diversity. This study confirms the potential of combined remote sensing and in situ surveys for regional scale assessment, and we suggest that similar approaches should be generalized for reef mapping and assessment for other reef sites. Keywords Landsat AE Remote sensing AE Geomorphology AE Mapping AE San Blas AE Coral reef diversity Recently, Guzman et al. (2003) reported on the consequences of mining in coral communities by indigenous Kuna people and the status of coral reef communities in Kuna Yala. Since 1938, Kuna people have autonomy and authority within the boundaries of Kuna Yala, their territory, which includes the islands and reefs of Kuna Yala archipelago. Demographic growth and limited space on reef-top islands resulted in extensive coral mining to create new land. Guzma´n et al. (2003) investigated the present situation in terms of living coral Communicated by Geological Editor P.