Location
History
Language
Settlement
Family & Customs
Income
Creation
Universe
Medicine
Death
My Experience
In the fall of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit Talamanca for a day. I was studying abroad in Costa Rica at the time and my group was taking a field trip to that part of the country. When the proposal was made to visit an indigenous Indian reserve we all jumped at the opportunity. We were warned that the traveling wouldn’t be easy going. It all began with a long bus ride through the rain forest from Cahuita to the reserve; followed by crossing a river in wooden boats that appeared to be carved from a single tree trunk. On the other side of the water we all piled into the back of a truck bed with high walls of wood.
The truck stopped at a village where we had the privilege of entering their sacred building and we were joined by the chief, the medicine man, and a translator. The leaders spoke of the Bribri people, history, religion, and culture in Chibchan, which was then translated to Spanish, and then was again translated into English. After an enlightening experience with the leaders we toured a nearby building and learned some more cultural things, more specifically about food and how they grind corn and carry bananas. We also had an opportunity to purchase handmade crafts made by the Bribri.
Our next destination was the medicine garden in the rainforest! The medicine man was our tour guide and he pointed out several plants and explained the medicinal purpose of each plant. It was there that I got to eat my first real chocolate bean, fresh from the plant. The white casing outside of the bean was very sweet, especially in comparison to the bitter bean inside.
On our drive back to cross the river I was impressed by these people, their lifestyle, health, and resourcefulness. I left with much to think about concerning their beliefs, the role of women, lack of material things and contact with the “outside” world. I hope you will be as intrigued by the Bribri as I was when I learned of them.
