We were all brought under the same roof and introduced to their culture by way of a presentation and Q&A, with Anne as translator.We learned that this village is part of over 100,000 Empera in Colombia and Panama, and that a woman can be chief as easily as a man.
They explained how they extract the materials they make their crafts from and showed us how they weave bowls that are virtually watertight out of local plants.
After that we were invited to join in a simple lunch of fried fish and plantains, with fresh pineapple and papaya served in bowls made of palm leaves.
We rinsed our hands in the basil-water and were offered tattoos - either simple wrist or arm decorations or full-body illustration for the bold among us! They used a 2-pronged piece of bamboo and ink made from a special palm-nut.
Once painted some of us went on a tour of the jungle with a shaman who showed us some of the many medicinal plants that they use on a regular basis. Treatments for snakebites, dementia, toothache (my mouth was numb for half an hour! LOL), diarrhea, erectile dysfunction (although this remedy takes about 3 days to work - plan ahead!) and an antibiotic cream for cuts. All of these plants were found within 100 metres of the village.
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