San Blas, Panama—In which Women Rule! | Olaf’s Corner
That has been the fresh determined invite off an enormous Cuna mamacita brandishing a great grinning mouthful out of wonderful teeth and a half chewed-up cigar. Sporting a yellow headscarf, case and you will foot beans, silver nostrils rings and you may earrings, and the old-fashioned colorful mola panel blouse, she was inviting all of our female to join a great raucous class.
It lush welcome was just offered with the women your Panama journey-the people was in fact gently nudged aside to attend additional according to the large thatched roof awning. We were perhaps not assist in the ladies group house, but leftover hanging out quietly such as underaged fellows outside of the grownups’ discotheque. Conversely, on the women’s’ preferred home there is certainly a noisy and you will happier whirring out-of public humor, rare falsetto vocal, and uplifting tunes played towards bowl flutes made from pelican skeleton. A wonderful mix of sweet smells out-of tobacco cigarette, fermented sugarcane juice and you can rancid sweating seeped from structure regarding the hut.
I learned after that event is actually brand new day dedicated to commemorate Cuna women, specifically this new indigenous teenage town girls have been “upcoming of age.” Pursuing the more youthful girl’s very first menstrual period, a party is actually kept where pubescent girl’s nose septa was pierced making place having silver precious jewelry. We had been as well as told afterwards that a-one section into the service, a big chicken is sacrificed and its particular enjoying bloodstream is actually splattered and smeared across the naked stomach of your own town head-woman.