The Embera Village, Mogue River, Darien

We had sailed gently through the bay of San Miguel during the night and finally as the sun began to rise, the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor close to the mouth of the Mogue River. The mighty Darien Jungle could be seen from our ship. A small amount of clouds allowed us to have an interesting overcast day. The Darien jungle is the home of big cats, tapirs, and a great diversity of birds. It was through this lush forest that Vasco Nuñez de Balboa crossed from the Caribbean to the Pacific in 1513, naming the ocean the “South Sea”.

Right after breakfast, local Cayucos were waiting to takes us up a river known as Mogue. They had come from a near fishing village called Punta Alegre, “Happy Point.” Most of the inhabitants are African descendents that were brought to Panama during the colonial time and ran away from the Spaniards. They greeted us with big smiles and helped us load the Cayucos. As we started sailing up the river, we enjoyed the view of big mangrove forests. Herons, egrets, ibis, common black Hawks, king fishers and many other birds. We were anxious to get further up the Mogue River.

Up this river there is an indigenous group known as the Emberas Indians. They are the most primitive groups of natives settled in Panama. We were excited to get there fast. As we began to get closer, we heard the drums and flutes. A big group of them were waiting to greet us. As part of their tradition, the men only use a loincloth and the women are topless and only wear a colorful skirt. They had their bodies painted with a natural ink known as Jagua. They move through the river with dugout canoes and their homes are on top of stilts. It was just a spectacular moment.

Once in their village, they shared with us their traditional healing dances and their daily activities, such as peeling rice with a “Pilon”, grinding sugarcane, and their marvelous art craft. The experience was so delightful. It was like going 100 years back in history. The kids were just smiling and giggling. Some of the guests decided to get painted as well. It was just an unforgettable experience. We could have stayed here for longer, but our trip had to continue.

Back on board we all shared the feelings about our visit and compared the lifestyle of the city with the simplicity of life in the village. It was indeed an unforgettable experience that changed our lives!