Panama Mission 2009 Journal Notes - Wounaan

YWAM Base, near Panama City

July 18 - Jennifer explained to us after dinner about Wounaan culture to us (Andrew, Dave, Daniel, Lyndsey, and I):

1. Time is event-oriented, not clock-oriented.
2. Boys and girls play together until around 6 to 8 years old, then only close (brother-sister, first cousins) can do talking (or playing) without notice. A man and woman go down to the river and are considered [betrothed]. Usually the 2 move into a house together and officially marry sometime later.
3. Women who are not near (in physical proximity) their partner at events are considered single--even if they have a husband.
4. Topless is not unseen for older women, but a skirt from waist to knees is the only proper attaire, NO SHORTS.
5. Men may wear shorts or loin cloth.
6. Space should be given to others during bathing (at the river).

July 19 - Sunday afternoon at the YWAM base. I hear loud laughing and exurburent males up in the dining room. I walk up and into the dining room to investigate. All present except noted are Wounaan: 3 late-teens/early 20s men, 3 young women, 1 younger boy, and 1 younger girl.

The 3 men are crowded around a television display in the dining room. The men are quite loud and are applauding the events being shown on the display. Audibly, the event seems like a game of soccer (foot-ball, footbol).

There is another display, a computer, showing two dancers: A man and a woman dancing elegant provocative moves to latin-based pop music. A younger male (boy) and 3 school age women watch along with a younger girl (pre-school age). These 5 are very quiet and are seated some distance away (20 feet, 6 meters) from the exuburent men.

I enter the dining room from the outside covered patio and walk through (path shown as the tourquoise arrowed-line). As I approached, no one from the dancers group acknowledged me. I walked over to the men's group and the smallest/youngest of the men (#1) acknowledged my presence.

The men speak in Spanish and continue to be exurburent. The time is 3:30 pm.

When I reenter the area (from where I had exited), one of the men [had been] up to get [coffee]. This is a different male sitting at the table where #1 was. The kitchen is now open, and the one male (formerlly #1) is now in the kitchen with a Caucasian male. The two of them are beginning to prepare the evening meal. #2 and #3 don't acknowledge me.

There are only the older girls at the other table now. I leave through the original entry. Total time: 20 minutes.

3:45pm: I return with camera and take a picture of the event--its the only display up at this point and both the men and women are crowded around the display to watch. I ask (in English) who's playing and the answer is Costa Rica. I ask the females first, the each of the others if they like Costa Rica. Yes, yes, etc. are the answers. I ask the guy who has his hand raised, who else is playing. He answers "Guadalupe".

I ask "Where is Guadalupe, in Mexico?" (I"m wearing an American football tee-shirt). "From Iceland" it sounds like is the answer (I raise and drop my hand).

(Jennifer says that he must have been saying "Is-land"--Island)

Later in the evening, Alex had this to say about the Wounaan (of which he is one):

1. Originally from Colombia. They left in the 1960s for the Darien and other Panamanian territories. [They got along with the Embera] and fought against the Kuna (Embera, Kuna, and Ngobe are other prominent indigenous peoples in Panama).
2. Legend varies, but there was Kuna-Wounaan fighting due to an alledged Kuna kidnapping of two Wounaan children for food (cannibalism?). This led to war.
3. Wounaan are very open people. They can be asked anything (I assume within 'reason'), but especially about fishing, hunting, customs, etc. Please, do make conversation about these.
4. Their openess includes to the Gospel, but also to evil/demonic.
5. [Legend] of [Canoe] (Oral Tradition). It is a common story passed from parents to children. There is an associated dance that involves bringing in [canoe] and a woman beats it like a drum. Then men/women pairs dance around it.

Alex and Jennifer are going to take a 2 month training in how to use oral tradition to teach the Gospel, then apply it in ministry. Their training begins in October 2009.

Rio Hondo -- Wounaan village

July 21 - Tuesday Chepo is a small fishing village from where we enter a boat, go down the Chepo river (Rio Chepo) and travel along in the Pacific Ocean until we get to Rio Maestra. In the cantina in Chepo, the men's bathroom is a wall (no flush toilet). In order that one has a BM, you need to go to the Police station. Be sure to bring your own TP.

Rio Hondo is a village on the Rio Maestra. There is a Rio Hondo (river) though Rio Hondo village is a Wounaan village on this different river (east of the Rio Chepo).

Church service is held in a 20'x24' (6m x 7m) barn-like building with dirt gravel floor and pole- type construction (not level) of wood.

The interior layout of the church looks like this:

Service included music with conga, harmonica, and singing; trading off with prayer.

Prayer was done by a praise-leader, who is accompanied by the congregations' speaking personal praises to God. After/between songs is a mantra-like expression of praise by the praise-leader. Translated, these are expressions of devotion such as (praise-leader): "Who is he?", (congregation): "Cristo!", (praise-leader): "What is His name?", (congregation): "Jesus!", etc.

Our Abode

Village Kids