Introduction

My Experience

Background

Location

History

Culture

Language

Settlement

Family and Customs

Income

Beliefs

Creation

Universe

Medicine

Death

Bibliography

Language:

The Bribri people have kept their original language, Chibchan, for centuries. Within the language itself there are three dialects which are understood by other native speakers. The Bribri language is classified as Chibchan and Talamanca; the three dialects are Salitre-Cabagra, Amubre-Katsi, and Coroma. Three quarters of the ethnic population speak Chibchan, but Spanish is also commonly used.

Settlement:

The Bribri, until the late 1900s, build their houses with a fair amount of distance between neighbors and institutional buildings. A typical house is a rectangular shape with an oval roof that is built on stilts. The roofs are thatched and made of palm leaves; they can last for several years before a new one is necessary. In the 1970s the concept of living in villages was introduced, this may have been a result of a growing population and the necessity of more organized space.

Family and Customs:

A family begins through marriage which is most definitely a family matter. Traditionally it begins when male addresses the subject, then the two sets of parents take over. The female’s elder relatives, such as the mother and grandmother, play a strong role in the interaction. The son-in-law then lives with the female’s family for a given amount of time. This period of time is then followed by moving into a new house or the couple will remain living with the mother’s family. It is not uncommon to find the practice of sororal polygyny, or a male having multiple wives who are each other’s sisters. Divorce and adoption are easy to attain in this culture. An inheritance of a women’s belongings are passed down to daughter, likewise the inheritance of a male is passed down to a son or daughter; most properties are left to the children. Male children are preferred, and the Bribri have methods to cause a miscarriage and prevent pregnancies for given amount of time. When a child is born they are not given a name, eventually they get a nickname which is used within the family. The child is referred to by their clan name or a kinship tie. In more recent years they have taken on the custom of naming children and celebrating their birthdays.

Income:

Agriculture has been the main source of income for most Bribri Indians. They produce and estimated 120 types of crops, both wild and domestic. A few of these crops are maize, beans, cocoa, with additions from the Spanish of plantains, bananas, rice, and coffee. Cocoa (chocolate plant) and plantains have been a large source of money flow into the community. Aside from agriculture some Bribri make their living through farming, a unique example of a farmed animal is iguanas, other more common animals include pigs. Others are employed as teachers and other types of government jobs. Some less common jobs include making cotton thread, the work of artisans and seamstresses along with making canoes and building huts. The Bribri have been trading their goods with neighboring tribes for many years. The process of trading is called bartering and this is usually performed by the Bribri women.