Ustupu residents live in houses that are generally roofed with palm fronds. The side walls are made of rush or palm posts measuring about one-inch diameter, which are lashed to a wood-pole frame that also supports the roof. The poles have been cut and stripped of bark by machete. In some larger structures, especially when concrete construction is used for walls, the roof support may be rectangular cross-section lumber which has been cut by chainsaw to final dimensions from large trees. Families live in small compounds of several huts that face a central and more or less open area. Often one hut is devoted to cooking (over wood fire, or increasingly, "Tropi-Gas" butane), and is therefore usually smoke filled and relatively warm. Other huts in a family grouping have hammocks strung about, and some areas may be communal sitting areas with wooden benches, a hammock or two, or even a plastic chair or two. Here and there in the community, buildings have been constructed of concrete, or may have a modern, corrugated composite tile roof in lieu of palm fronds.
Water for the village comes from a PVC pipe that has been led from a high mountain creek source a few miles inland on the coast. This pipeline feeds a sand filter set on a hill a mile or so from the coast and regularly cleaned by villagers. The pipeline then drops to the coast and crosses beneath the bay to the island. Elevated concrete tanks equalize supply with demand. There is no pump in the system, only gravity flow. Human waste is directed directly to the surrounding coastal waters - outhouses surround the island on stilts over the water and some interior dwellings have drain pipes that also discharge directly to the sea. Scattered street lights are powered by solar cells and batteries mounted on the street light poles. Electrical power is available intermittently when the village operates a gasoline-powered 10kW generator, and some individuals also have their own small generators. Trash is dumped into the sea. With the introduction of plastic products in recent decades, a raft of plastic trash has begun to accumulate on nearby mainland shores; from the village as well as communities to windward in the Caribbean.
The family compounds are all build adjacent to one-another, except there is a maze of narrow paths that wind through the community allowing the public to pass from one compound to the next without passing through the individual living areas -- much as roads divide up city blocks in an urban center, but with far less likelihood of an actual rectangular feature arising in Ustupu.
The community feeds itself from surrounding farms on the mainland, from a dwindling supply of coastal seafood, and from provisions delivered by a fleet of picturesque, generally delapidated, generally wooden-hulled, coastal trading boats of Colombian and Panamanian registry. A population of Panama Canal pensioners in the village seems to make Ustupu a more prosperous community than some other smaller Kuna communities. The community supports several small restaurants and a couple of fledgling tourist hotels.
Several coastal trader vessels visit Ustupu every week and outboard-powered dugout canoes also pass regularly between Ustupu and the communities up and down the coast - Mamitupu and Achutupu to the northwest, and Isla Pinos or Tupbak to the southeast. Small propeller planes also serve the community via an air strip across the half-mile wide bay from Ustupu to the mainland. AeroPerlas and AeroTurismo both have regularly scheduled commuter flights from the National Airport in Panama City. There is no road access to Ustupu or the adjacent mainland. On the order of a dozen or so sailing yachts from various countries visit the village each year.
The community has numerous small stores that receive goods from the trading vessels. There is a health center supported by the Panamanian government and an office of the national police with one or two National Policemen stationed there on a rotating schedule. But the main government presence in Ustupu is the Congreso, where the village sailas meet to discuss the community needs. They also maintain an administrative office in a concrete building near the village dock. The community has a strong organization of women who keep the town looking nice, (and no doubt, keep the Congreso focused, as the Kuna culture is matriarchial in some respects), and it also hosts a couple of missionary-led churches. There is an organized sports program, a Panamanian funded school, and even a village lottery office.
February is the month in which the Kunas celebrate their revolution. In Ustupu, all women above the age of 15 wear traditional garb through the month up through the celebration day on the 25th. We have been fortunate to visit the village twice during February and particularly recommend to anyone a visit during the last several day leading up to the 25th, when the town is at its most festive. The festival of the revolution of 1926 commemorates the Kuna Indians successful bid to achieve partial autonomy from Panama. The celebration features a mixture of traditional Kuna dance and a re-enactment of the events which led to the revolution. The celebration ends with a "chicha party" at which the community imbibes a large amount of fermented cane juice which has been brewing for six days. This sweet-sour and wine-like brew is consumed in 2 to 6 ounce draughts from half-gourds which are offered by servers and which must be gulped at once. Inebriation soon follows.
Nele Kantule who was born in Puturgandi (the old name for Ustupu - not sure when or why it changed) in 1868, and died in Ustupu in 1944. He is Ustupu's most important son. In 1926, from Ustupu, he led the Kuna people in revolt against oppressive practices by the government of Panama. With the aid of the US government under the leadership of Woodrow Wilson, the Kunas succeeded in their revolt and now have separate government within the borders of Panama, and their success has led to the formation of other semi-autonomous indigenous regions which comprise a considerable portion of this Central American country. In some respects, their cultural standing today is a living counterpoint to the failed US policies toward indigenous North American groups through the preceding centuries - policies with shortcomings that the US government had recognized by the early 1900's and sought to convey to other countries facing similar but contemporary issues.
Kunas have traditional customs and beliefs which constitute a deeply ingrained religion. Although some kunas profess Catholicism or some Protestant Christian relgions, most still conserve their trandional lifestyle and beliefs which are documented elsewhere in this website and elsewhere. We have seen missionaries both glorified vilified within the Kuna community. Virtually all Kuna in Ustupu depend regularly on the application of smoke baths to obtain healthful effects from spirits which live in the trees of the forests.
Kuna's organize in small commercial ventures called groups. Because we saw many glorifications of revolutionary thinkers and activists around the world, we began to think that Kunas were somehow communal and assigned to these numbered work groups. Instead we found, the members of "Group 18" are share holders in group commercial efforts. These efforts may be manifest as a farm, a tienda, a restaurant, a fishing cooperative, or a combination of such enveavors. The group members share in the profit from the group endeavor, and they work together to make their endeavors succeed. Around Ustupu in the commercial operations, you can always find a list of the members of the Group that "own" the operation.
There are no roads in the San Blas. Or maybe it should be said that the roads of Kuna Yala are not paved with stone. Virtually all travel outside the confines of a village in Kuna Yala is by boat. The Kuna word for boat is ULU, but though this is an all-encompassing word, it generally applies only to the locally-made dugout canoes which are toys for the kids, transportation to and from work, and cargo vessels for most of the community's food that is grown on inland farms and ferried to the island villages. Most ulus have a width of 14 to 18 inches and appear intended as single-person craft (though they may exceed 20 feet in length). A significant number are somewhat larger - over two feet wide and up to 30 feet long and occasionally propelled by a small outboard, and may three or four adults and some kids. A few exceed 3 feet in width, may have built up sides of plank, built in seats, and may be used for inter-island ferry service by up to 25 people (sheltered behind raincoats, umbrellas or shower curtains from the sea spray that kicks off the bow of a speeding Ulu in the trade wind seas near shore.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this village, and other villages in the San Blas, is the degree of welcome one receives from first the children and then the rest of the community. EVERY child says "hola" and waves to every stranger who walks through town. Many walk up to take a hand, not for a handshake, but to hold on and stroll through town for a while. The adults are a bit more reserved, but in a day or two they will all let their guard down and be ready to talk, share, and otherwise be the most friendly people we know.
As noted above, the culture is not communal, but entrepreneurial. Every Kuna is oriented toward earning their keep as efficiently as possible. Although we received occasional gifts, most things were for sale and they drove hard bargains. By default in many villages, prices on daily commodities like bread or husked coconuts were doubled for gringo customers, though this practice does not seem to be widespread in Ustupu so far. As the many ulus plied the waters between shore and the village, some would inevitably stop by anchored sailboats to sell some of their fresh produce. Women in the village lurk in the entrance path to their compound when gringos are afoot, hawking their collections of molas. Kids find seashells to sell, or make little bracelets from beads they've scavenged, or just ask for some money. Most Kuna we encountered expect to earn one dollar if their picture is taken - though many of the children waive this if they get to see their face appear magically in a digital camera screen. Even the village offices of the Saila are out to get their fair revenue: charging all boats that anchor in the waters around the village six dollars, charging for water from the mountain, and selling permits for photography in the village.
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