444 - Guna Yala
Degutie!
Welcome back to another edition of 444. I’m Max. I’m a photographer and writer from Australia. 444 is my monthly blog honouring when you connect with your heart.
Each month you will find three things: something for me, you, and us. Drop your email here to have this land into your inbox at 4:44 from where ever I am in the world.
Today I’m writing to you from Armila in Guna Yala (‘the land of the Gunas’) - an indigenous community along the coast of the Darien Gap. The Guna crew I volunteered with live here. It’s incredible connecting to their home and lifestyle.
4.me - Sharing
The Guna’s sharing culture is heartwarming. It’s second nature for them to offer meals, gifts, and welcome you into their homes. There’s no incentive for anything in return. It’s from a place of kindness.
They are reminding me how I can give more in my daily life.
4.you - Guna Yala Postcards
Caledonia is a favourite place in Guna Yala. The primary school is in the village, so the young children from the nearby communities live here. The island carries endless energy.
Here, I was introduced to the ‘Danza Guna’ - their traditional dance. They use this dance in ceremony to cleanse their spirits. The mixture of movement with their handmade maracas, flutes, and clothing creates a powerful performance. The transmission is moving and pivotal to Guna culture.
My new postcard set compiles my favourite photos from two months in Guna Yala. Unsurprisingly, most are from Caledonia. All the profits from this set will go to resourcing the Caledonia dance school. This will support the traditional dance group continue teaching it for the next generations.
You can preorder the postcards here
4.us - Native Land
The Gunas have faced familiar indigenous challenges.
Mass displacement. Diseases. Threatened extermination. Forced assimilation.
What we see today with the Gunas is unique.
In 1925, the Gunas won a revolution against the Panamanian government. This resulted in a treaty giving them complete ownership of their land and waters.
100 years on, the treaty stands firm. No encroachment from big mines or loggers. No cattle grazing. To own an island you must be Guna, so no luxurious hotels.
For my volunteering stint, we journeyed the length of Guna Yala weekly. Their waters and section of the Darien jungle was always in sight. It’s rare in today’s world to see this scale of untouched land.
Their story is an example of nature preservation if we give indigenous communities their land rights. They live off Mother Earth’s cycles. They know her resources are for use, not abuse.
It’s a familiar way of living from native communities worldwide. Hopefully the Guna’s successes finds its way to decision makers across the globe.
That’s all from Guna Yala for this 444.
To close, here is my favourite Guna word printed in the back of all the life jackets:
‘Anaimar’
Translates to ‘friendship’.
See you next month,
Max
