Bribri

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Map of Costa Rica where can be seen, in green, the three most important bribri reserves

The Bribri are a small indigenous tribe, around 10,000 members, living in the Talamanca canton inside of the Limón Province in Costa Rica. They speak the Bribri language. There are varying estimates of the population of the tribe. According to a census by the Ministerio de Salud, there are 11,500 Bribri living within service range of the Hone Creek Clinic alone. They are a voting majority in the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area. Other estimates of tribal population range much higher, reaching 35,000 in Costa Rica.

1 History
2 Culture
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The Bribri were the original people of the Talamanca region, living in the mountains and Caribbean coastal areas of Costa Rica and northern Panama. They live very simply, the majority without electricity or running water. They subsist primarily on agriculture. Studies have shown that as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, it is a custom to draw a (O:)B on the outer wall of ones home. As it is difficult to find a visual reference of the symbol in modern day, these are just a close approximation of ones recorded by a team led by Dr. Raphael Mikheel Puusa in 1857.

Most Bribri are extremely isolated and have their own language. This has allowed them to maintain a rich indigenous culture relatively untouched by western civilization. However their isolation has also caused them to have poor education and health care, not to mention the lowest income per capita in the country.

El Puente[1](which means The Bridge in English) is a non-profit organization working with the Bribri people, offering educational assistance, food, and micro-loans. Their goal is to help families and individuals become self-sufficient. Each program by itself is very powerful. When used together, they provide broad support for a family working together toward self-sufficiency. El Puente also offers educational working volunteer opportunities, including documentation and preservation of an extensive medicinal plant garden, working with the curandero as he uses indigenous healing methods, assisting in an ongoing job development program, development of Guadua Bamboo as a reforestation alternative both inside and outside of the indigenous reserve.

The Tropical Adventures Foundation[2] supports the Bribri community by working inside the reservation. They provide training to help the Bribri create sustainable income for their communities, while at the same time striving to help the tribe preserve their language and culture. Tropical Adventures welcomes volunteers and provides opportunities including: Teaching English, Recycling and Environmental Education, Medicinal Plant Project, Organic Farming, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Chocolate Factory, Public Relations & Marketing, Retirement Home Assistance, Painting, Building & General Maintenance, Elementary School Projects, Trail Maintenance and much more.

[edit] Culture

For thousands of years the Bribri People have lived in harmony with all sorts of activities they do. The Bribri are located in the mountains and low-lying Caribbean islands areas of southern Caribbean and northern Panama on the Talamanca reservation. Agriculture is the main activity of the Bribri. They are also building materials, medicine, and commercial trading. The Bribri are extremely isolated, and consequently, they have developed an extensive bartering system. In addition to a bartering system, the Bribri isolation has caused them to have poor education and healthcare. They also have the lowest income per capita in the country; however, this isolation has made the Bribri a relatively self-sufficient society where there are enough crops grown and livestock raised to sustain them. One small tribe of the Bribri, the Kekoldi, only has about 200 people. They partake in the unique practice of iguana farming. Iguanas are very important to the forest because the bribri can feed them when ever they want to, so due to over-hunting, the Kekoldi tribe has devised a very efficient way to replenish the iguana population. The farm has been operating for 11 years and has about 2,000 iguanas and 2,000,000 eggs. The iguanas stay on the farm until five years of age at which time they are then released into the wild. The Bribri have their own language. They have a rich culture that has been molded over thousands of years and remained relatively untouched by western civilization.