The Indigenous peoples of Panama are the native peoples

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 of Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

. According to the 2000 census, there are 285,231 indigenous peoples living in Panama, and they make up almost 5% of the overall population. The Guaymí

Guaymí

The Guaymí or Ngäbe are an indigenous group living mainly within the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in the Western Panamanian provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, as well as in the indigenous town of Conte, Costa Rica near the extreme southern tip of the country...

 and Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé is a comarca in Panama. It was formed in 1997 with lands from the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. The capital is Chichica...

 comprise half of the indigenous peoples of Panama.

Many of the tribes live on comarca indígenas, which are administrative regions for an area with a substantial Indian populations. Three comarcas (Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, Kuna Yala

Kuna Yala

Guna Yala is an autonomous territory or comarca in Panama, inhabited by the Kuna indigenous people.The name means "Guna-land" or "Guna mountain" in the Kuna language...

, Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé is a comarca in Panama. It was formed in 1997 with lands from the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. The capital is Chichica...

) exist as equivalent to a province, with two smaller comarcas (Kuna de Madugandí

Kuna de Madugandí

Kuna de Madugandi is a comarca in Panamá. It was created in 1996 from the east part of the province of Panamá, in the district of Chepo. The primary ethnicity is Kuna.The comarca is not divided into districts. Its capital is Akua Yala....

 and Kuna de Wargandí

Kuna de Wargandí

Kuna de Wargandí is a comarca indígena in Panamá. It was created in 2000 from the province of Darién, from the district of Pinogana. It has an area of 299 square miles . It is inhabited by the Kuna people....

) subordinate to a province and considered equivalent to a corregimiento

Corregimiento

Corregimiento is a term used in Colombia to define a subdivision of Colombian departments. According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and Decree 2274 of October 4, 1991, Corregimiento is an internal part of a Department or province, which includes a population core...

(municipality).

Indigenous groups

• Bokota, Bocas Del Toro
  Bocas del Toro
  -Transportation:Bocas del Toro is accessible by air or boat. Most visitors fly into Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport from Costa Rica or Panama City. Ferries connect Almirante and Changuinola to Bocas del Toro. The ferry from travels thru a canal built to serve local banana...
  
  
• Embera-Wounaan
  Embera-Wounaan
  The Embera–Wounaan are a group of semi-nomadic Indians in Panama, living in the province of Darien at the shores of the Chucunaque, Sambu, Tuira Rivers and its water ways...
  
  , southeastern Darién Province
  Darién Province
  Darién is a province in eastern Panama. It is also the largest province in Panama. It is hot, humid, heavily forested, and sparsely populated, having 48,378 habitants...
  
  
• Guaymí
  Guaymí
  The Guaymí or Ngäbe are an indigenous group living mainly within the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in the Western Panamanian provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, as well as in the indigenous town of Conte, Costa Rica near the extreme southern tip of the country...
  
   (including the Movere
  Movere
  The Mové, also called Movere, Western Guaymi, or Ngäbere, are a Chibchan speaking people in Panama and Costa Rica . This tribe, like the Murire , is a division of the Guaymi. They are further subdivided into the Valiente.The Mové live in a tropical forest , also gather wild plants...
  
   and Murire peoples), mainly Chiriqui Province
  Chiriquí Province
  Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...
  
  
• Kuna, Darién Province
  Darién Province
  Darién is a province in eastern Panama. It is also the largest province in Panama. It is hot, humid, heavily forested, and sparsely populated, having 48,378 habitants...
  
   and Caribbean
  Caribbean Sea
  The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
  
   side.
• Ngöbe-Buglé, mainly Chiriqui Province
  Chiriquí Province
  Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...
  
  
• Talamanca
• Teribe

Languages

Some native peoples speak Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, while many more retain their traditional languages. According to the 2000 census, the following indigenous languages are spoken in Panama:

• Bokota language: 933 speakers (in Panama)
• Bri-bri language: 2,521 speakers
• Buglé language: 17,731 speakers
• Emberá language: 22,485 speakers
• Kuna language
  Kuna language
  The Guna language, spoken by the Kuna people of Panama and Colombia, belongs to the Chibchan language family.-Vowels:Vowels may be short or long.-Consonants:...
  
  : 61,707 speakers
• Naso-Teribe language: 3,305 speakers
• Ngöbe language: 169,130 speakers
• Wounaan language: 6,882 speakers

External links

• Distribution of Indigenous Populations in Panama by Province and Comarca, 2000