A Day with the Bribri Tribe, Costa Rica
Introduction
The Bribri tribe is located in Costa Rica and parts of Panama. They are commonly called “the hidden people” because they live in isolation. Living in isolation from the rest of the world permits the tribe to maintain their language, traditions and culture. Approximately 5,200 people make up the Bribri Tribe.
The tribe is known for living off of the land. They have over 120 domesticated crops and use plants for food and medicinal purposes.
If you enjoy being outside or are eager to get away from the modern world, visiting the Bribri tribe may be the right vacation for you. Their land painted in exotic plants, wooded huts, and thriving streams will not disappoint you.
Brief History
The Bribri tribe has been around for thousands of years. Because of their isolated lifestyle, they have been able to maintain their original language and culture. Although this isolation enables the tribe to keep their traditions, it also can cause problems, such as create a lack of education. Even though the tribe may not be well-educated, they take great pride in their spirituality.
The tribe typically has a “shaman,” also known as a medicine man. The shaman is trained at the age of eight, and is constantly being schooled for the next 10 or 15 years in order to gain knowledge about medicinal practices. The tribe lives off of the land, so they have an abundance of plants to use for medicinal purposes. They believe that evil spirits are the cause of bringing on any medical misfortune. They use the plants to cure headaches, lower fevers, and prevent diseases. These plants can be infused in teas or eaten. The shaman is typically a male, but on rare occasions, a female may hold this position. Shamans are usually selected by a spiritual experience that happens to a certain individual. This spiritual experience is said shed light upon that individual, making them the “chosen one.”
The Bribri tribe is made up of clans (each clan is a group of extended family). Clans are “matrilineal,” meaning that the group you belong to is determined by the clan your mother is in. These clans speak a mixture of Spanish and their own original language. Living in isolation has maintained the existence of the “Bribri language.”
Living in isolated areas has allowed the Bribri tribe to raise cocoa, platano, and banano. They trade these goods for clothing and other necessary textiles. Although the Bribri live off of the land, many necessities (such as building materials or cloth) must be obtained through trade. About once a month, a boat filled with goods is sent up the river. This is how the tribe is able to keep contact with other local traders.
The Bribri tribe has always hunted for their own food. They use an enlarged bow and arrow to catch small prey. Hunting is important to the tribe because it is their main source of protein. Without it, their diet would consist mainly of fruits and other plants.
What to do
A typical day when visiting the Bribri tribe may be spent making chocolate, learning about the plants that cover the land, or shopping in their market of handmade goods.
Many members of the Bribri tribe spend their time harvesting cacao. If you visit their village, they will show you the intricate process of making homemade chocolate. First, they will take you out into the forest to pick fresh cacao from the tree. Cacao is usually yellow or orange colored, and contains white seeds inside.
The seeds are then roasted over a small fire for a couple of days. After roasting the seeds, a round stone is used to grind the seeds. This grinding technique dates back to hundreds of years ago. The grinding breaks the outer shells off of the seeds, which will eventually be shaken loose. The crushed seeds are then put into a grinder, and after a few manual cranks, chocolate is made! At first, the chocolate may taste very bitter. It is still in it’s natural and raw form. After the addition of sweetened condensed milk, the chocolate is ready to be eaten.
While you are visiting the tribe, you may also explore the land and the plants that it fosters. The lush, green grass hosts a colorful array of a variety of plants. While the scenery is breath-taking on its own, the knowledge that the tribe has on the plants is quite extensive. The shaman uses these plants for spiritual practices and medical procedures. While they cannot cure everything, they often serve as a remedy for various sicknesses. For example, the Achiote plant can be used as a natural food coloring and can ease the pain of arthritis. The Saragundi plant is used for more medical purposes. It helps with fevers, arthritis and skin problems. To learn more about other Costa Rican plants, visit: http://members.mrtc.com/anvk/costarica11/crflowers/crflowers.html.
By living off of the land, the Bribri tribe has learned to use the sources around them. The plants not only provide them with beautiful scenery, but also with food and beneficial health purposes.
The people of the Bribri tribe also make many crafts. They sell these crafts for a small price, that contributes towards the good of the village. In their main hut, they have the products set out for visitors to view. Seashell bracelets, carved gourds, and beaded jewelry fill tables inside of the hut. All of these products are handmade by the women and children of the village.
For a small price, you can bring home many souvenirs for friends and family by shopping in their small market. The quality and time spent making each product is quite extensive. If you are not a fan of the bustling shopping lifestyle, but want to purchase souvenirs, this is the activity for you.
Communication
The Bribri tribe has their own language, but also speaks Spanish. Because the tribe is so isolated, the “Bribri language” has yet to be documented. When visitors are present, the tribe members will speak in Spanish, a more universally understood language.
Knowing a little bit of Spanish before visiting the Bribri tribe would be an excellent idea. Their culture is so rich that it would be a shame to miss out on the information just because you couldn’t understand the language. If you do not speak Spanish, I would recommend bringing a translator along with you. This will enable you to still immerse yourself in their culture and gain interesting information about their lifestyle and traditions.
Below I have listed a few phrases that you should become familiar with before visiting the Bribri tribe.
- Hello, how are you? — Hola, cómo estás?
- Tell me about your culture. — Hábleme de su cultura.
- I’m interested in learning about (_____). — Estoy interesado en aprender acerca de (_____).
By brushing up on your Spanish and understanding a few simple phrases like the ones listed above, you will be able to communicate more easily with the tribe. This is essential for learning about their culture first-hand.
If you are not able to easily communicate with the tribe through words, you can communicate with your eyes. The Bribri tribe takes part in many interesting activies (like chocolate making) that you can learn about by just watching. If you are attentive and respectful in your physical actions, you can still learn many interesting things about the tribe through sight.
Indirect communication can also be done with the tribe by the way you dress. Because the tribe is so isolated, their clothes may differ from your own personal wardrobe. They receive clothes through trade that are more modern than you may think.
Although the clothes (such as the outfit in the picture above) can be quite modern, they can also be very old-fashioned. As you know, the tribe lives off of the land, so they also use it to clothe themselves. Woven leaves or other natural materials can also be used to clothe the tribe.
Final Thoughts
You will not regret visiting the Bribri tribe. With the booming technology industry that we have today, it can be hard to get away from the modern world. By visiting the Bribri tribe, you will be able to fully immerse yourself in their culture, tradtions and land.
Before visiting this tribe, I had never seen a land so colorfully painted in flowers and wildlife. Their way of life differs immensely from most people’s. By learning about how the tribe lives off of the land and spends their day creating decadent homemade chocolate treats, I guarantee that you will gain more of an appreciation for the land and people that surround you. We tend to take our surroundings for granted, but after seeing how the Bribri use all of their sources to live off of, you too will become immersed in the land.
Disclaimer: This article was written as part of an Intercultural Communication class at University of Nebraska — Lincoln under the direction of Jennifer Kienzle. Students chose different regions of the world to explore the unique history and cultural practices in those places. Please contact Jennifer Kienzle at jen@huskers.unl.edu if you have any questions or comments.
