San Blas Rebellion

In 1903, Panama issued a declaration of independence from Colombia, with support from the U.S. government.[3] At the time of their declaration of independence, the San Blas islands were situated in a strategic location on the Colombian border, and some villages remained loyal to Colombia.[4] However, Panama's unity as nationality was in doubt, and Kunas claimed themselves as a distinctly non-Latin culture, demanding ethnic autonomy.[4]

Realizing the significance of this region, the Panamanian government began to incorporate it into the new nation by establishing administrative control of the area and followed an assimilation program since 1904, when some villages of San Blas accepted the flag of Panama.[4] In 1906, Panamanian government took 17 Kuna students to be educated in the Western way, and in 1907 a priests entered San Blas with armed supporters. In 1909, a police border was introduced, leading to several conflicts between police officers and Kunas.[4]

Kunas resisted the assimilation program. In 1910, President Carlos Mendoza was rejected in San Blas as President Porras five years later.[4]

In 1919, Panamanian President Belisario Porras began a policy of forced assimilation.[2] The government introduced bans which affected the wearing of some components of traditional woman's dress.[2] The government introduced these laws to Westernize Kuna society and assert control. They stopped Kuna women from wearing their mola blouses, nose rings and leg and arm bindings, and forced them to wear Western style clothing.[2]

There was a strong link between traditional dress and Kuna culture and identity, which made it a subject for control and change by the Panamanian government. As a fairly conservative society, the men typically wore dress shirts and trousers and the women wore traditional colourful dresses called tulemolas which were handmade.[5] They also wore multicoloured bracelets known as winnis, which were beaded and believed to keep unwanted evil spirits away.[5]

The Kuna greatly objected to the control on their cultural dress, and ethnic identity, and showed great strength in their reaction to the bans implemented by the government.[2] For example, in 1925 for a three-year period following the revolution, women were required to once again adopt traditional dress as a form of rebellion against the government. Women on Nargana and other more progressive islands were forced to wear mola, even if they had never worn this traditional dress, and their noses had to be pierced by force.[2]

In 1925, the Kuna leaders planned and arranged a major revolt.[2] The leaders were advised and supported by Richard Marsh.[2] Marsh later wrote their declaration of independence.[2]

Marsh was an American explorer who had initially gone to the Guna Yala region in the search of "White Indians", the lost ancestors of European heritage.[6] During this trip he stumbled upon the Kuna and quickly found them to be likeable people.[6] He also began to learn of the cultural attacks that were being implemented by the Panamanian government in this area and on the Kuna people.[6] In order to raise awareness to this issue, he brought a legion of Kuna across to North America,[6][7] which gained the attention of both Canada and the United States.[6]

Marsh soon returned to Panama and became a spokesman for the Kuna people[6] despite his original intentions of his journey being in search of wealth.

Marsh helped Kuna rebel leaders organise the rebellion in 1925 which attacked the Panamanian government.[6] He also assisted in writing their declaration of independence which declared a new Kuna Republic.[6]

The main leaders involved in the revolt was the Chief of the island of Ustupu, Nele Kantule, and the Chief of the island of Ailigandi, Simral Colman.[2]

The motivation for the attacks were to revolt against the Panamanian police and government. They planned to do this by attacking the islands that were being most controlled by Panamanian officials.

The Flag of the Revolution Guna, adopted in 1925

On 12 February 1925, a conference was held in Aligandi, which lasted 26 days. It announced the Republic of Tule and implemented its territorial borders. A flag was created to symbolise this planned uprising - it was yellow with red stripes on the top and bottom, and a swastika in the middle.

Together the Kuna leaders coordinated attacks on many of the islands that were being controlled by the Panamanian police and government.[2] Marsh assisted in planning these attacks across the islands.[6] They planned the attacks on the main islands whom had been carrying out the Panamanian government's policies which encouraged ethnocide, and implementing the most control on the Kuna people.[2]

The revolt began on 22 February in 1925.[2] It lasted three to four days and resulted in fewer than thirty deaths overall.[2]

Lullabies played an essential role in the Kuna rebellion. Kuna society is fundamentally matriarchal,[8] and lullaby singing is a key part of their culture. Lullabies are only sung by Kuna women to their children, and the messages conveyed in these lullabies were used to advise children about behaviour and common sharing.[8] This made lullabies extremely influential in shaping the mindsets of Kuna children and society as a whole.

During the Revolution, lullabies were used as a means to encourage children [8] to defend their identity and culture. The children were told that they were the superior ethnic group,[8] and that extinction of their culture and people would be disastrous and unrecoverable.[8] These lullabies also had great religious significance as well during this time. Some lullabies recounted that the Kuna had been given a land in which they can live peacefully by their God, Paba Tummat, and in return they must protect this land from foreign intervention.[8]

These lullabies were used as a form of pop culture to influence the younger generation of Kuna to protect their culture and identity against the Panamanian government and Western influence.

Following the peace agreement issued in 1925, it took time for the adjustments to be made and for Kuna society to integrate into Panamanian politics. Although a few Kuna villages did participate and vote in the Panamanian elections of 1920 and 1924,[2] they did not fully immerse themselves in Panamanian politics until the elections of 1932.[2]

Up until the late 1920s, the Kuna villages were still very much divided into two camps, one being Pro-Colombian and the other Pro-Panamanian due to their history.[2] This resulted in the leaders of both factions voting for different parties in the 1932 election in Panama.[2]

However, by 1935, 1000 Kuna voted in the election, and 2738 voted in 1940.[2] By 1945 Kuna people were recruited at leadership level,[2] this showing their slow but steady inclusion into Panamanian politics.