We had read and heard about the Kuna Indians and their islands from many sailors but never imagined that these islands would be so beautiful, well preserved and fascinating. We first sailed to Isla Pinos, after a nearly 24-hr passage from Islas Rosario. A small island about 7 miles long by 3 miles wide, Pinos island has 1 small town at its north-west end and the rest of the island is uninhabited but mostly farmed with coconuts, pineapples and sugar cane. Pinos is a very traditional Kuna island where people hardly speak Spanish and preserve all their customs and traditions.

After entering a narrow reef we anchored in an expanse bay near the main town. There was only one other boat in the bay, that of our friends from s/v Optimus. With them, we took our dingy to a beach (no dingy dock here) and walked around the shoreline to the town where Sigrid distributed eye glasses to the locals. She had collected nearly 400 pairs of glasses in Denmark to donate to the Kunas. As we walked into town we were approached by a young man, David, who spoke Spanish and English and said that we needed to ask the Sailas, the main Chief of the island, to allow us to visit the island. Each Kuna island has 3 Sailas, of which 1 is the chief and represents the island with the rest of the islands when they meet to discuss government and issues concerning their islands (about 4 times a year). We were taken to the Sailas' hut and introduced to him and the other people around him. The eyeglass give-a-away was an instant success and as the news spread around town it seems as if all the inhabitants of the island congregated around us. We asked permission to take pictures and even a short video which we will post in Yutube when we have higher internet speed access.

After we paid an $8 USD cruising fee to the Sailas, David showed us El Congreso hut, or the main meeting house where the Sailas and the people of the island meet every evening at 5PM to discuss and resolve issues related to their community. David also took us on a 2-hour walk through the inner paths of the island and we were able to chat with him and start learning about this fascinating culture.

The Kuna culture is matri-linear which means that women are the ones who pass down their customs & traditions. They generate a large portion of the Kuna's income through the sale of their famous Molas. Molas, which are intricate hand-sewn beautiful quilts, have made the Kunas famous world-wide. Their designs, particularly the traditional ones, are used by the Kunas to pass down their culture. Each design tells a story of their ancestors (for example of how the islands were first inhabited by 4 goddesses), of their food, music, etc. Simply put, the Molas have helped the Kunas preserve their history and culture.

Being a matri-linear society, when Kunas marry the man moves into the woman's house and is supposed to adapt to her home and ways of living. Typically the woman lives with her parents and when she marries, the man moves in with the woman and her parents as well, something rare in western society. Having lived in Panama for many years, David was not nearly as reserved as Kunas tend to be and told Maria his personal story which portrayed the strength of females in this culture. He had been married for 4 years and had moved into his wife's dwelling. At first we thought he had a very happy home life as he spent a lot of time talking about his wife and 2 children. But then he told Maria that the day after Christmas he was going to be confronted at El Congreso because his wife was accusing him of infidelity. He claimed to be innocent but his wife had told him that morning, after she got up and declared that the night before was the last time they were sleeping together, that she had strong evidence and that those people testifying against him where going to show up at the "trial". He re-iterated his innocence to us but he was obviously shaken by the prospect of being publicly accused and maybe convicted in front of the entire island. When he asked for his mother's support, she replied that she was going to wait until El Congreso determined whether he was indeed innocent and that she would be believe this outcome rather than believing him! This showed how powerful women seem to be.

We spent Christmas in Pinos island and celebrated it with our friends from Optimus in our sailing boat. The next day, we started our north-west sail through the islands.