KUNA YALA

"They are much better at learning English than we are," said a Panamanian working on the island of Porvenir, the western entry into Las Islas San Blas, Kuna Yala, "Kuna Land". He thought it was because some of the Kuna people's words sounded like English. "They are always asking for money for everything all the time." He turned his nose up.

What we saw was the amazing ability of the Kuna people to continue their traditional ways and means of living alongside a large and growing number of visitors such as us. Sailboats, motor-yachts and even a small, daily plane into Porvenir bring people to see their coco-palm islands and swim and snorkel in their beautiful waters and coral reefs. The Kuna were easily friendly and did not seem bothered by our presence on their islands and in their waters. They seemed happy to have us as trading partners.

Almost as soon as we were anchored off Isla Chichime, a dugout canoe (hewn out of a single tree trunk) with 4 women came up to the Shearwater. Lisa, Gabriela, Aureliana and Arci asked and were invited to come on board. And here began an eye-popping show. Each young woman took turns laying out her exquisite handwork for us to see and buy. Lisa, the eldest and a Master Mola Maker, directed the younger women, teaching them how to display and sell their wares - "molas" - hand-sewn, fabric creations with all the colors of the rainbow and more (red, yellow, purple, hues of green and blue, orange, black, splashes of white, maroon and magenta, grey and brown and pink), full with local fish, birds, animals, medicine plants, mythological figures - dazzling in their detail and colors.

Venancio, another Master Mola Maker, came to our boat the next day with yet even more exquisite molas to show and to sell to us. These molas, once used only as part of the front and back of Kuna women's blouses, were now a valuable trading article, sometimes taking months to make.

Each day the Kuna men and women would come out mostly in their canoes or sometimes larger wooden boats with motors to offer fish and sweet Caribbean lobster, crab and octopus, and tell us which house or family would sell us madu - the local bread, if we asked. We were even invited and glad to accept an invitation to meet family members of two Kuna sisters at their coco-palm home on one of the islands.

From the Kunas we bought beautiful things and food and felt their innate ability to welcome strangers of many different languages into their lives - even if only momentarily.