Costa Rican Indigenous Art

The Maleku Indigenous Reserve is located near the village of Guatuso, in the province of Alajuela, a 45 minute drive north from the town of La Fortuna, an area famous for the highly active Arenal Volcano. The Malekus were once a thriving population in this area, but now have been reduced to around 600. However, they continue to uphold their traditions and language intact. The Malekus are known for their love of nature and it is reflected in their arts and crafts. Carvings and paintings of the natural world are prominent in their pieces, as is apparent in the gallery below. When you first meet a Maleku Indian, it is customary for each party to trade light taps on the shoulder while uttering the Maleku Jaika greeting of "Kapi Kapi."

Visiting the tiny pueblo of Boruca in the extreme southern zone of Costa Rica is quite an adventure. There the 600 or so remaining members of the Brunka tribe spend their days practicing timely traditions of making arts and crafts the same way their ancestors did before the Spanish arrived to Costa Rica. Their language is almost extinct, with just a few elderly tribe members still conversant. In the 1980's Boruca was not the thriving village that it is today and was beset by conditions of extreme poverty. However, a small group within the tribe decided to organize and re-inspire the ancient traditions of making textile items and the masks that have really put "Boruca" on the tourist map. The masks are used in an annual celebration that takes place at the close of each year. It is called the "Danza de los Diabilitos" and is a reenactment of the struggle between the Indians and the Spanish. The hideously and ornately carved masks, made from balsa and cedar, are brightly painted in ways that are meant to be "scary" to the Spaniards and perhaps drive them from Costa Rica's shores. Of course, that didn't happen, but thankfully the Brunka mask-makers are still in full force in the tiny picturesque village of Boruca, Costa Rica.

Once a thriving indigenous population in the Guanacaste region, there is no one left today in Costa Rica with pure Chorotega blood. Sadly, the language is completely extinct as well. However, one Chorotega tradition lives on and that is the creation of beautiful pieces of pottery. In the tiny village of Guaitil in Nicoya that tradition remains alive and well as Costa Rican families earn their livelihoods creating and selling these exquisite pottery pieces. The raw material from which the pottery is made is known as "arena de iguana," because it is the sand where iguanas lay their eggs. The material is molded into shapes and sizes by hand using methods handed down from generation to generation since before Columbus arrived in Costa Rica. The pottery is then placed in a home-made oven after being meticulously painted with Mesoamerican designs. The pottery of the Chorotegas is a lasting heritage that gladly remains for all of us to enjoy.

The Guaymi can be found in the remote southern region of Costa Rica, bordering with Panama. Their language is "Ngäbere," of which there are some 200,000 speakers today, mostly in Panama. Many cross into Costa Rica during the coffee season (November and December) to pick coffee beans. They are known for crafting brightly colored dresses (called "nagua" in their language), bags made from plant fibers and beaded bracelets and necklaces. Their chief Urraca was greatly feared by the Spanish as a fierce warrior.

The Bribris are perhaps (along with the Cabecars) Costa Rica's largest indigenous population. They live in a remote area of the Talamanca mountain range in the province of Limon. They are very cut-off from modern society and live in conditions of extreme poverty. Many groups venture to their villages to provide medical and other assistance. Most continue to this day to speak the Bribri language. They are known for baskey weaving. One group, the Kekoldi, is known for its "iguana farming" methods.

These groups are lesser known for their arts and crafts, but nevertheless represent an important part that is the mosaic of Costa Rican indigenous culture. The Cabecares rival the Bribris in terms of population. They also live in the Talamanca region, but unlike other tribes, they choose to live alone in dispersed family units rather than in groups. The Terrabas are related to the Teribe Indians of Panama and live along the banks of the river in Costa Rica by the same name. The Huetares were once a thriving and powerful group that is now reduced to just a few remaining, who are trying to revive their ancient culture. The Huetar language, like Chorotega, is now extinct. Costa Rica's most important pre-Columbian archaeological site, Guayabo, is located in what once was Huetar territory..