Eye Opening Excursion to the Bribri Village

Today our group took an unforgettable trip to the Bribri village. The Bribri are indiginous people to Costa Rica, who live remotely in the mountainous rainforest near the Yorkin river. To get to the village, we rode in dugout canoes down the Yorkin - observing wildlife and flora as we went. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Prisca, one of the female elders of the tribe. She thanked us for coming, and we were educated on how our visit to their village is an important part of their evolving culture. She is the president of their women's organization of artists, which was started 18 years ago to assist with the economy of the tribe. They began with two women, and the organization has grown over the years. Currently, this club offers unique experiences to visitors such as ourselves to obtain a glimpse of their lifestyle. Their buildings are simple with thatched roofs made of palm leaves, and they mostly walk everywhere. It is rare for them to have canoes such as the ones we used to get to the village. They compared having a horse to having a Lamborghini, so as you can imagine we only saw one horse on this trek.

Our first stop was their elementary school. This one-room school really gave us a perspective as to how fortunate American students are. There were few books, an old blackboard, and a few wooden desks and chairs. Unfortunately, the students were not in school as the weather was too bad this morning. The students walk to school, which takes them 1-2 hours. We were able to deliver school supplies to one of the elementary school teachers on the school's behalf. In the supplies, we included soccer balls - which the teacher said would mean the world to the students as they had none.

After a brief hike, we visited their high school. Again, the school was only one room. The school principal greeted us warmly, and was appreciative of the school supplies that we were able to bring to the school. Our students noticed that there were no computers, or many of the basic school supplies that American schools. We had a chance to meet the students, who ranged in age from 16-24. Even though their was a language barrier for some, we did our best to ask each other questions.

Then, we went to their kitchen to make chocolate. A representative from the tribe taught us how to crush the cacao beans with a large, heavy rock on a wooden platter to get the bean out of the shell. The aroma was remarkable, and we all commented that we wanted to bottle that scent & take it home! We each had a chance to crush the beans. Then, they showed us a special technique to toss the crushed cacoa beans into the air to separate the shells from the bean. Next, we took the crushed beans and processed them through a hand-powered grinder. Our host mixed the bittersweet concoction with condensed milk to create the most delicious chocolate dip for our fresh bananas. We could have eaten our weight in chocolate!

They treated us to a traditional lunch, which was delicious. Following lunch, one of their representatives showed us how to use use their techniques to make the thatched roofs. We all got to tie palm leaves onto the bamboo to create a section of roofing. Then, he showed us how to shoot a traditional arrow. They normally use this type of arrow to spear fish. It was amazing to see the kids cheer one another on as they each tried to hit the target - which was a large palm seed.

I wish we could share all of the unforgettable signs, sounds and smells from this journey with you! I think today was one of amazing learnings, and also fostered an appreciation for all of the things that we have that we often take for granted.