Click image for larger view

I am sitting on the white sand beaches of Porvenir, an island in the Caribbean, sipping coconut milk and staring at the warm blue water. We are waiting for a boat that is supposed to come and take us to Peru.

Click image for larger view

The native people that live here are called the Kuna. Kuna is also the name of their language. In 1925, the Kuna fought a war to protect their island against Panama, and the United States actually helped them a little by sending a warboat to watch what Panama did. Today, the Kuna still run San Blas, an area that includes all islands and a small strip of mainland along the coast. Panama's government does not bother the Kuna people.

Click image for larger view

Click image for larger view

The Kuna peoples' clothes are fascinating. The women wear bright cloth dresses called Molas that have beautiful birds and plants painted on them. And, believe it or not, all the women and young girls have tattoos all the way from their foreheads to their noses! This is their tradition. That's sure different from where I'm from!

Abeja