As you can see through these three beautiful ladies, the Ngäbe-Bugle people in Soloy, Panamá are some of the most special people I’ve had the privilege to meet. Their soft voices carry the wisdom and knowledge of their gentle culture. They radiate one simple principle through their words and actions: Love for all mankind.
Soloy is located a few hours from the Costa Rican border and is surrounded by tall trees, dirt roads and dirt paths, horses, cows, chickens, and all the wildlife one could expect by living in the middle of a jungle, including the rare ocelots. I’ve visited Soloy twice now; the first time was 8 years ago during my year of service for the Bahá’í Faith. What once took a 4x4 truck 2 hours to reach now can be traveled by a small car and takes only 35 minutes of your time. Development is beginning to spread into Soloy, like for example people carry around cell phones now, there are bus stops, there are nice bridges, all this has helped create small town markets and more merchandise is being sold, some buildings even have solar panels in order to have electricity 24 hours a day which is still a rare commodity. Some things haven’t changed, the people still wear their traditional clothes (mostly the women), the majority still walk long distances (+8 hrs) with bare feet, the rivers still sparkle and fish can be seen in their crystal waters, and people still mainly live off the land. I always found that aspect of the indigenous people so inherently noble and some of my best childhood memories are eating salads whose contents were picked from our garden. Those memories created a fondness for nature and mother earth that pull me now and then towards the jungles and oceans of the world. I can only imagine what it must feel like for the Ngäbe-Bugle having lived their whole life in a careful balance with nature.
There was an event held recently in Soloy where over 1,200 indigenous people came from all around Southern and Central America including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. A thousand came by foot or horse, climbing down from their mountain ranges to celebrate a once a year occasion, Naw-Ruz, or the Bahá’í New Year. There were celebratory talks, artistic presentations, and traditional music played all night long. Of course it’s not usually celebrated in such grand fashion but this year was extra special because it highlighted 30 years of cultural evolution represented by the Ngäbe-Bugle. They’ve become a center of attraction for all indigenous people; even a delegation from China arrived to celebrate this most noteworthy achievement. What did they do? And how did they do it?
Not everyone came just for the celebration. After the festival was over, many of the indigenous people went back to their homes but the people invited from the surrounding countries stayed. They came to observe and learn how the Ngäbe-Bugle have transformed their community from feeling isolated and separated to a hopeful and loving family where action is directed towards the unity of all. 200+ participants of the 5 day seminar split up into groups in order to visit the local Bahá’í communities. What they witnessed and the feelings they shared could never be fully captured by words alone. However a few examples come to mind. Not long ago women were treated as inferiors, not allowed to be educated, not allowed to speak in village counsels, used for housework, and sometimes shared their husband with three other wives. This all changed within a span of 30 years. Women have a prominent role in community discussions, they are encouraged to be educated, families no longer have more than one wife, and women are considered equal in all things pertaining to the intellect and spirit. How was all this accomplished in such a short span of time? The Ngäbe-Bugle’s answers were unanimous; by cultivating a profound love for Baha’u’llah and by following His Teachings. One of those Teachings state that the mother is the child’s first educator and therefore her education is even more important than the father’s. This simple yet weighty Teaching has transformed the Ngäbe-Bugle’s way of life. Examples like this shone like precious gems throughout the community visits, inspiring the international indigenous people and renewing long forgotten hopes for their own communities growth.
Looking back, I realize how important this moment is for all indigenous people, and how meaningful it will be for the world’s future. There is so much more to share with you, like the level of sacrifice, the relationship between the community and the Local Spiritual Assembly, and all the growth and hope one feels from being around these servants of God. But I fear my simple writing is not adequate enough to reach the intense feelings of appreciation and gratitude one wishes to portray from observing such a historic event. Perhaps in more intimate conversations we can go deeper but for now I’ll just end with a few notes to peak your curiosity of the events that occurred during the 10-day trip.
NOTES – PANAMA TRIP 2012
-the insects must carry around wooden flutes
-hiking 2 hours underneath the stars cleans your soul
-a dark spider descending and disappearing like the wind
-tears parting from tear ducts and parting the community with parting gifts
-radio baha’í only station that has programs in indigenous language
-children classes are well-organized and well sung
-BESIKO: a name of a women who had great vision about a region called Boca de Remedio. She gave hope to the people and told of the coming of a Great Teaching.
-Brazilian songs don’t need microphones
-the river
