“Nanulega” is an intimate documentary series depicting the lives and cultural shifts of the Guna people on one of the many San Blas islands in Guna Yala. It explores the sometimes difficulty defined concept of origin, and how this can often become blurred by forces we cannot always control.
The San Blas Islands of Guna Yala is an archipelago just off the coast of the Isthmus of Panama, and home to many of the country’s indigenous Guna people. The Guna culture was largely shaped by a history of invasion, relocation, revolution, and eventual autonomy. Today, rising sea levels put them at risk of relocation once more. In fact, researchers estimate that in as little as twenty years, some islands will become uninhabitable. And with a growing sense of globalization and booming Panamanian trade, tourism, and economy, some Guna customs are slowly becoming statements of the past.
The island of Nanulega, though governed separately like the other inhabited islands, is affected by these forces. And as their essence may become somewhat obscured by generational shifts and the world around them, they live their lives much like before. Elderly women still embroider and teach of the traditional mola for the girls not yet of chicha (a puberty ceremony) age, while a teenage boy not far off takes out his phone to browse it. Fishers in dugout canoes search the waters for catches worthy of trade and meals as a man practices his self-taught wiring techniques to power his hostel’s generator. The people still seek shelter when it rains while the sands under their feet begin to flood.
This series lies at the intersection of origin and outcome - of then and now. The Guna people of Nanulega and the San Blas Islands still are very much aware of their customs and origins. But today they are faced heavily with what is happening now and what lies ahead, and these forces may shape them for generations to come.
