top of page

Discovering the Hidden Treasure of the Bribri Indians: An Authentic Encounter with Culture.

Writer's picture: Danny LayanDanny Layan


The corn from which we were created doesn't matter," said Natalia Gabb, a Bribri indigenous woman, as we gathered in her usure, a traditional conical ranch where her people gather to solve problems and receive care from healers and sages. In her home, Located in the town of Körbita, in the Talamanca canton of Costa Rica, it does not matter if you are indigenous or not; Natalia Gabb welcomes you with open arms.

Natalia is one of the last representatives of her culture that still keeps this ancestral tradition alive. However, she cannot help but lament how many other indigenous people have gradually lost the traits that identify them with their own culture.


"They have good houses, they don't live on the ground anymore. I don't understand it," she says with some disappointment.



Natalia's house has become a must-see destination for those who visit Körbita, as it offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the past of a town that is an important part of Costa Rican history. In the midst of the material poverty that characterizes the place, Natalia has found wealth in her spirit.

Despite being born and raised in Talamanca, Natalia is a descendant of an American paleontologist, William More Gabb, who lived for a few years in Costa Rica. Although she has never visited the United States and has had few opportunities to explore the capital, San José, Natalia has become deeply rooted in her homeland.




The first years of her were marked by poverty. "I started going to school at the age of seven, but at twelve I dropped out and didn't finish the sixth grade. Later, when I was older, I managed to complete it," she recounts wistfully. "I grew up in poverty. We didn't have a lot of clothes and we went barefoot. Until recently, we could barely afford shoes."

In those days, there were not many houses in the community and people shared what they had: crops, meat and other products. "That is what it means to live well. Nowadays, who gives you something? We are all stingy. People, the elderly, do not understand true generosity," she says with a cordial tone but without hiding her severity.

In the town, Natalia is known for having worked for many years as a cook in a school. She earned the affection of many people and, to this day, the children of those who once shared meals with her visit her house, where she treats them in the same way. "They are little children who live in the mountains, and at Christmas, when they don't receive anything, Natalia takes care of raising pigs and chickens. She learned to make bread, and she throws a big party for them here," she proudly recounts.

In addition, she Natalia has become a defender of the Bribri culture and a guardian of the history of her town.

48 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentarios

Obtuvo 0 de 5 estrellas.
Aún no hay calificaciones

Agrega una calificación

Haz una donación ahora

Ayúdanos a marcar la diferencia en nuestro conocimiento Indigena Bribri

$

Gracias Por su Donación

bottom of page