Globalization Hits Costa Rica’s Remote Indigenous Tribe

A recent research carried out by a Costa Rican photographer/reporter sadly revealed as one of the country’s most traditional native tribes have begun to succumb to the strong commerce grip.

The photographer Ileana Arauz had chosen the traditional and closed native tribe of the Guaymies as the center point of her dissertation.  She wanted to show the world that this remote community defended and maintained their traditions and customs despite of the many outside influences they could receive.

After walking 5 hours through Costa Rica’s southern region mountains and wading through neck high water, Ileana arrived at the Guaymi village only to find men and children gathered around a TV watching a soccer game.

To her surprise, or dismay as she had to rewrite her paper, not only did they have access to a TV but also found several cell phones with an impeccable reception.  It was common to see the younger children wearing soccer team jerseys and speaking a combination of their native ngöbes language with Spanish and even English.

In addition, she documented that when the tribe’s women had to leave their village, they preferred to dress in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers in order to avoid standing out when outside their village.

The outer world influence is obviously more noticeable in the younger groups which have also brought solar panels and electronics into the village.

Ileana believes that this change in the tribe’s practices has a lot to do with the village’s location.  The Guaymies villages are relatively close to the border with Panama and many members take their arts and crafts to sell to the large amount of tourists which cross the border.

The Guaymi arts and crafts prices are tagged in US dollars and members have even began learning English.