The indigenous people

Even though they number only round 65,000, just over 1% of the national population, indigenous people play an important role in Costa Rican life. Living in 22 territories, they have always been guardians of much of Costa Rica’s natural and cultural riches.

There are many different ethnic groups: Cabécar, Bribrí, Boruca, Teribe, Ngobe, Huetar, Chorotega, Quitirrisí and Maleku. Some still use their native language, but many others have lost their native tongue, along with their native dress and house-building techniques. Despite the process of cultural assimilation, many indigenous groups keep their ancestral traditions alive, or are reviving them as a means of reaffirming their cultural identity.

Older people know how to make crafts with symbolic meaning, but are often unable to transmit their knowledge to the younger generations. The pressure to produce crafts that can be marketed to tourists has meant that in some places crafts are made without using the traditional materials that give the crafts their significance. So if you are interested in buying indigenous crafts, choose what you buy with care, and be prepared to pay a fair price for authentic work.

Indigenous music is also an expression of spirituality. Indigenous songs and dances can be used to celebrate, to pray for a good harvest or hunt, and are done to the rhythm of drums, ocarinas, flutes and maracas.

The indigenous reserves have seen little economic development. Surprisingly, they were not given the right to vote until 1990, after a long struggle. Their schools and healthcare services are not on a par with the rest of the country, in part due to their remote locations. For these reasons, they have organized themselves to demand more government support.

Today, one of their main worries is the loss of native lands. They are in a permanent struggle to preserve their heritage and homelands. Indigenous territories on the Caribbean coast have been threatened with oil exploration, and a planned hydroelectric project in the southern zone could flood much of the Boruca indigenous territory.

In these pages you will find rural community tourism projects developed by the indigenous people themselves. In other circumstances, these communities have taken legal action against outside tourism companies that start projects without permission and do not provide any benefit to the local people. Visiting indigenous territories through rural community tourism is always the best choice.