Los Indígenas (written by Amy)

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We are learning so much about Costa Rica’s culture, including the country’s work with their native Costa Rican indigenous population. There are 3 to 4 main populations that remain active in Costa Rica and live on reservations. During our first week at CPI, we were fortunate enough to meet and talk with this couple who shared their culture with us. They live in the mountains on reservations that the government has set aside for them, growing and harvesting their crops and making what they need. They travel 6 hours from their village to a cable car which transports them across the river, then hike another hour before they reach the main road, where a bus takes them where they need to go. They only come into the city for emergencies involving the hospital or to sell their goods.
Each indigenous group has its own committee in each village. At this time, to combat the loss of their language, specialists are working with the Indians to format their spoken language into a written format in order to pass on to future generations their native tongue.
A popular fiesta the Indians participate in involves people masking themselves as the devil, then later everyone else in different festive masks chase the devils out. This represents that the “pueblo” (community) will never be conquered by other influences.
These people prefer the least amount of contact with the outside world; therefore, the money gained from selling their goods goes towards the community fund for emergencies and the pueblo’s school.
The masks that you see take a skilled carver of the village 3 days to create. And they are beautiful, light weight, and encompass the Costa Rican culture in each sculpture. The couple demonstrated for the school how they carve the masks and weave the strong material they use for purses, rugs and ponchos.
Learning how Costa Rica embraces every aspect of their culture involuntarily endears our hearts to this country.

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Photos

Amy and Her Host Mother
Amy (author of this entry) and her host mother at CPI.

Weaving
A demonstration of how the material for purses, rugs and ponchos is woven. (Photo by Amy)

Drawing the Mask
The craftsman starts a mask by drawing the pattern he will carve. (Photo by Amy)

Carving
The man who visited the school showed how he carves the masks. (Photo by Amanda)

Mask
One of the finished masks. (Photo by Amanda)

Finished Products
These are some of the purses. (Photo by Amy)

A Colorful Display
Masks and other objects made by the couple. (Photo by Amy)

Beautiful Masks
The masks contain representations of many birds, animals and other aspects of nature. (Photo by Amy)

Display at CPI
Amy took the next few pictures of a CPI wall display focusing on the indigenous people of Costa Rica.

Locations of Reservations
This section of the display shows where the various indigenous reservations are located.

Masked Dancers
From the display at CPI, a picture of some masked dancers. (Photo by Amy).