Diego Correal Imagery: First meeting with a tribe

7/28/10

The places that La Ruta set up for us to sleep at was different every time. Some times it would be a college or school dorm, military base, field to camp in, or a sport complex. This time it was a sport complex in Panama.

The first place that the Panamanian Tourism Authority took us was to meet a tribe of the Embera ethnic. When we got there the tribe members pick us in these long canoes that fit about 12 people including two tribe members. These canoes they make them self our of a trees that they cut, carve out, and add a power motor.

The first place the tribe took us was a stream that ended at the main river. We had to hike next to this stream to a water fall were we could swim in. As we walked we found out the stream wasn't really a stream but a small river and we would have to walk on rocks and cross the river a few times that was also really rocky. We all took off our shoes so we wouldn't get them wet but the rock were really sharp and hurt our feet. The tribe members had no shoes on the whole day and were not effected at all by the rocks, I guess from living there and walking on these rocks from birth.

After a nice dip in the waterfall we hoped back in the canoes and they took us to were they lived. The way they drive the canoes is that one of them is in the back steering the motor and another in the front that has a long pole that he would keep the canoe away from the shallow areas of the river.

When we got the area were they live at we was greeted by the female and kids of the tribe as well as the elders playing music. When we was there they played music, feed us, explain about their day to to day activities, and dance typical dances for us. When this was done we had time to talk to them and buy some souvenirs that they make.

I had a strange experience right after I got this shot. I seen this little girl standing there and it look so much like an Arnold Newman shot I had to take it. As I'm shooting I realized that there was someone looking at me out of the corner of the door. This made the shot perfect. So I walk up to them to show them the shot since I was so happy with it and as I'm showing them the mother grabs the two little girls and runs inside with them. When I looked around the reason they had run away was because a male tribe member was coming.