You and your students will have
an amazing adventure when you trek into the Talamanca territory to visit the
Bri-Bri Reserve. You will cross the Telire River in native-made boats and ford
the smaller streams on foot, as the indigenous students do, in order to get to
their school every day. At Namu Wokir, you will enter a whole new world, one
with a long and often bitter history. The spiritual leader of the community
will share with you the creation legends of these people and show you how to
treat common diseases with local plants. The children love to show visitors
what they are learning and to share games, songs and stories with other
students.
The entire community is always welcoming and generously feeds our groups with
native dishes. You and your students will never forget this day.
THE HISTORY OF THE BRI-BRI
Talamanca is an area that
was conquered by the Spanish after they invaded Costa Rica in 1540. As peaceful
and beautiful as it is today, it's hard to imagine the long struggle that took
place here. In 1620, in an attempt to destroy the coherence of the tribes, the
Spanish hung, in Cartago, the four Caciques (leaders) of the Bri-Bri. Despite
all the Spanish effort to split and weaken the community, in 1662 the Blu (the
civil chief) and the Kabsi (the military chief) united to destroy the newly
built city of San Bartolome de Duqueiba on the Telire River. The Spanish were
never able to penetrate the territory and subdue the Bri-Bri, whose warrior
spirit carried them through this struggle and many others since.
Many died in the war with the Spanish, but their descendents today carry on
that spirit and the old traditions that tie their people together.
In more modern times, the
Costa Rican government neglected the Bri-Bri, living in their tradition way in
a far corner of the country. They were not considered citizens and so did not
receive any of the benefits other residents enjoyed--They were even denied the
right to an official ID.
Finally, in 1994, they were granted all the benefits of citizenship and today
they struggle to catch up with the rest of Costa Rica. The indigenous
population is estimated at 1% of our total, and that number is decreasing.
We at Students Eco Tours
hope to be instrumental in reversing that trend and in helping this
precious community find its place in today's world. This is where you can help.
What is Students Eco
Tours doing for the Bri-Bri indigenous community?
In 1999, we started processing
the necessary paperwork required to allow the Bri-Bri to visit the Department
of Education in San José in order to demand appropriate textbooks for their
schools. For four years they have been asking for books appropriate for their
culture, but they have never received any satisfaction. Students Eco Tours,
in addition to helping them advance their plea, is teaching the indigenous
people about their rights and is attempting to open the nation's eyes to the
problems of these forgotten people.
We use a portion of the
profit from trips such as yours to supply the Bri-Bri schools with their basic
needs and to fund our incentive program.
Under this program, we bring to San José those students with the highest level
of achievement. We take them to the children's National Museum, the National
Theater, the Congress, and to an amusement park. They learn a lot about the
world outside their community, but we find that they usually go home realizing
that in some ways their world is the better one!
So, before you arrive, you
have already helped this community with your donation of money. Now, how can
you help in other ways? Students Eco Tours has set up a student donation
program. We are prepared to receive and disseminate any donations your group
can gather before you leave, and we will dedicate our time to help the people
put them to use. Some of the things we know they need now are:
We are
happy to hear any other ideas you may have, but please consult us before you
pack anything. Their needs are always changing, and our wonderfully generous groups
may fulfill needs currently listed. Your students will always carry the
knowledge that they have made a significant difference in these students' lives
and future.
For further information please write to
coordinator@studentsecotours.com