Bokota people

The Bokota, also called Bogotá[2] or Bugleres, are an indigenous people of Panama. They live in Bocas del Toro and north of Veraguas.[3] Bokota live in the same region as the Teribe or Naso Indians. As the 2010 Census, there were 26,871 Bogota living in Panama.[4] They are the smallest tribe in Panama and live in the west of the country.[3] Traditionally they spoke the Bokota language, a dialect of Buglere.

Bokota
Total population
26,871 [1]
Regions with significant populations
 Panama (Bocas del Toro)
Languages
Bogota language[2]
Religion
Traditional tribal religion
Related ethnic groups
Ngöbe Buglé by marriage

Culture

The Bokota dedicate themselves to livestock, fishing, and hunting. They still use weapons like bows and arrows and spears or fishnets. Men wear shirts of manta-sucia, while women dress similar to the Ngobes. They wear necklaces, facial paint of black and red, and shiny hair combs. They make hats of vegetable fibers, backpacks, baskets, and daily dresses called cobo. They live in round houses on stilts. They are monogamous, and the Bokotas have often intermarried with the Ngöbe Buglés. There are still fullblood families of Bokota. Many traditional ceremonies are maintained, including the ceremony of lightning, which prevents lightning from striking their houses.

Language

They speak the Bokota language, also called Buglere,[3] which is one of the Chibchan languages.[2]

See also
  • Ngäbe–Buglé people

Notes
  1. "National Institute of Statistics and Census - Panama". National Institute of Statistics and Census - Panama.
  2. "Bogota Language (Bogotá, Bocota)." Native Languages. (retrieved 23 Feb 2011)
  3. "Indigenous Peoples in Panama." Archived 2011-03-02 at the Wayback Machine International Work Group for Indian Affairs. (retrieved 23 Feb 2011)
  4. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo". National Institute of Statistics and Census - Panama.



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