At the very end of a narrow strip of Panamanian land known
as the comarca (territory) of Kuna
Yala, and bordering Colombia and the Caribbean, is the isolated and rural
indigenous Kuna village of Armila. Unlike other Kuna villages, Armila
differentiates by celebrating and promoting the conservation of the leatherback
sea turtles through their annual Festival of the Turtles. Each year the
leatherbacks come by the thousands to the beaches of Armila to lay their eggs.
The kuna of this village make the Festival of the Turtles a unique experience
through a mixture of education, folklore, and culture. One cultural aspect of the festival includes
ritual dance performances done by some of the men, women, and children while
simultaneously playing handmade musical instruments (mostly panpipes and
maracas) to honor the sea turtles. For
these dances, the women and young girls will dress in their handmade
traditional costumes, which include molas
(intricately embroidered panels of cloth that depict some sort of colorful
design, for which the Kuna are famous for) of sea turtles sewn onto their
blouses and proudly show them off while dancing.