BriBri / Talamanca

A Bribri indigenous man on a makeshift raft floating downstream on the Rio Sixaola towards the nearby town of Bribri

The Bribri were the original tribe of the Talamanca region, located in the province of Limon, Costa Rica. The majority of the Bribri live in the mountainous reserves and Caribbean coastal areas of Costa Rica and northern Panama. The population is said to be around 10,000 living in the Talamanca Canton - with some estimates are as high as 35,000 - giving them the voting majority in the area.

Most still live without electricity or running water and live off of the jungle rain forest. There is much to be learned from their sustained lifestyle, and especially from their knowledge on medicinal plants. Due to their isolation in the mountains, they have managed to maintain their own language and indigenous culture which has remained untouched by Western Civilization. Unfortunately, this has also caused them to have poor education and health care, not to mention the lowest income per capita in the country.

The rulers of the Bribri nation were styled Kings of Talamanca until 1910.

Agriculture is the main activity of the Bribri. They also supply much of the building materials which you will find on many of the Caribbean style houses, sign posts and businesses throughout the area. Many have developed an extensive bartering system. One small tribe of the Bribri, the Kekoldi, only has about 200 people. They partake in the unique practice of iguana farming. Iguanas are important to the forest because the Bribri can feed on them whenever they want to, so the Kekoldi tribe has devised a way to replenish the iguana population. The farm has been operating for over 11 years and has about 2,000 iguanas and 2,000,000 eggs. The iguanas stay on the farm until five years of agem at which time they are released into the wild.

About the Talamanca Region

Talamanca is the name of the fourth canton in the province of Limon in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 576.48 km²[1], and has a population of 37,549[2]. Its capital city is called Bribri. Talamanca is also the poorest of all Costa Rican cantones.

The canton includes all of the Caribbean coast south of Tuba Creek (Rio Tuba). It shares its eastern border with Panama, and encompasses a major portion of the caribbean slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca. Most of the La Amistad International Park on the Costa Rican side, is found within Talamanca, as well as Cahuita National Park, Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve and various indigenous territories. The rulers of the Bribri nation were styled Kings of Talamanca until 1910.

Talamanca is noted for its beautiful beaches and forests. Both Cahuita and Puerto Viejo (Old Harbor) are popular tourist locations.

The canton of Talamanca is subdivided into 3 distritos (districts).

• Bratsi
• Sixaola
• Cahuita

  
  

  
  

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