Since we have been anchored quite a distance offshore, we have had limited contact with the Kuna people, although we see the men fishing in their dugout canoes (ulas) each morning and afternoon. There is a fish camp on the tiny island here which is run in turn by two families whose main residence is on another island closer to the mainland. Yesterday morning two women and a man paddled over to collect a $5 anchoring fee which is good for one month. We got an official receipt, so it seemed pretty legit.

After much strife in the late 1930s, the Kuna leaders were granted almost autonomous rule by the Panamanian government in the now officially recognized Comarca de San Blas. Today about 55,000 Kunas live in the island group, leading basically the same simple existence of seventy years ago. Their main source of food is fish and they use the mainland rivers for water, hunting and growing basic crops. Their huts are made from nothing more than palm fronds and cane. Each village is led by a first sahila and a few deputy sahilas, who oversee everything from hut building to agriculture. On the inhabited islands, yachties may be required to visit to a "congreso" in order to pay respect to the sahila and pay a small fee in exchange for the right to voice any grievances, should, say a pair of flip-flops go missing.

Probably what the Kunas are most known for are their molas, which are beautifully colorful and intricate designs appliqued on layers of fabric. Depending on the size, number of layers and the quality of the stitching, they can fetch upwards of $50 for a small square. When we were in Chichime, we were visited by Venancio, one of the most well-known and respected mola makers. He showed us each of his probably 50 designs, and after about thirty minutes of negotiation, we bought a few our favorites. Although the Kunas are extremely friendly and gentle people, they seem to have become quite shrewd businessmen, likely as a result of their increasing interaction with yachties.