We are fully aware of the risk of losing our traditions, culture, and livelihoods if our territorial rights cease to exist. If we were forced to leave our lands, it would completely change our way of life and our social and cultural fabric. We would feel as if our culture and identity as indigenous peoples were being murdered.
A History of Resistance
Our ancestors enjoyed an extensive cultural area spanning the forested lowlands of western Panama and eastern Costa Rica. Then, in 1502, Christopher Columbus dropped anchor in the Bocas del Toro archipelago. He was soon repelled by a contingent of Ngäbe warriors. Some 17 years later, in 1519, once Spain had gained a foothold in the Americas, Chief Urracá, the most celebrated Ngäbe leader of all time, united the isthmus in an 11-year guerrilla campaign against the Spanish Empire. He and many others were never subdued, but many Ngabe communities fled the lowlands and relocated on higher ground.
Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca
The inhospitable mountains which once served as a base for Urracá and his troops are today home to the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, the largest of Panama’s semi-autonomous Indigenous provinces. The campaign for the Comarca arose in part as a collective response to territorial threats: the expansion of United Fruit banana plantations, the construction of the Interamerican highway, and land grabs by intruding ranchers and campesinos. The right to a Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca was won after a long campaign culminating in a historic march to the capital.
Established in 1997, the Comarca is home to approximately 212,084 people [2023 census]. It encompasses 6,968 km2 of Ngäbe and Buglé territory previously incorporated into the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí and Veraguas. With its capital at Llano Tugri, the Comarca encompasses nine districts, including two on the Caribbean watershed.
As a legally demarcated Indigenous enclave, the Comarca enjoys a degree of autonomy, including its own politics, powers and decision-making processes, as well as certain legal protections. However, its rights do not extend to the subsoil, leading to conflicts with Panama’s national government, which has sought to mine the Comarca’s extensive copper deposits.
Outside the Comarca
Tens of thousands of Ngäbe live in communities, cities and homesteads outside the Comarca, mainly in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí and Veraguas, as well as in neighbouring Costa Rica. We are frequently excluded from high-level political decisions that impact our lives and usually lack the means to pursue litigation, for example, in disputes related to land and titling. In some places, Spanish may be quite limited, leaving our communities vulnerable to exploitation.
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