Cultura

Cultura

Tradicionalmente, los ngöbes han sido agricultores itinerantes utilizando el método de roza y quema, complementando su dieta mediante la cacería, la pesca, así como con la recolección de frutos y otras hierbas de la montaña.  Al verse menguada la productividad de este sistema de vida, debido a la presión demográfica y a la degradación de sus tierras, han tenido que incorporar el trabajo agrícola asalariado como parte de su modus vivendi. 



Los ngöbes vinieron desde la provincia de Chiriquí en Panamá hacia Costa Rica, empujados por la destrucción de la selva, las presiones de los blancos, y por la arbitrariedad de sus caciques aproximadamente en los años 1950-51.  Sin embargo, esta región de Costa Rica forma una unidad geográfica continua con Chiriquí, por lo que también se considera que su presencia en Costa Rica responde a que los ngöbe siguen recorriendo los caminos usados por ellos desde la época precolombina, siendo pueblos casi de trashumantes que a menudo regresan a Panamá (Laurencich en Camacho 1996: 21).  A partir de 1964 los ngöbes se establecen en Costa Rica de manera sedentaria en las localidades mencionadas (Bozolli 1969: 98).

Balseria

The Balseria is a four-day festival and Ngäbe traditional sport. The sport consists of two players, who take turns throwing a four-foot-long balsa stick at their opponent's legs. The objective is to hit the opponent below the knees until he can no longer continue. Opponents meet before the match to decide how many sticks will be thrown by each (10 being few, 40 being a lot, and 20 being average). There is no tournament structure and matches are initiated by challenge and request.
The event is initiated when one town invites to host and challenge another town; this is typically precipitated by a good harvest or by a reciprocal obligation to host. Once a date is selected, the host presents the challenged with a knotted rope—each knot represents a day and the rope is used as a countdown for the event. In the weeks leading up to balseria, participants in each town blow animal horns and other makeshift trumpets to announce the imminence of the event.
On the first day of balseria, the hosts receive the challenged in their town and provide food and drink (generally fermented corn, banana, and palm leaf liquor). The second day consists of much of the same and the unstated goal of both sides is to exhaust the other before the games on the third day. At dawn on the third day, the best balseros of each town lead a procession to a predetermined location and begin the games by facing one another. The dawn matches are supposed to be the best of the day and can feature up to 60 balsas being thrown. After the inaugural match, the rest of the day is informal and matches are initiated through challenges. The only real rules are that no two balseros from the same town can face one another and players must hit below the knees. The below the knees rule is enforced by spectators and "teammates" of the players, the implied consequence being a fist fight. On the fourth day, the challenged leave and the hosts take care of the inebriated and injured, who are unable to leave.
Attendees of balseria typically dress in traditional Ngäbe clothing and colors and wear feathers, animal skins, and even entire animals on their backs. Some men also wear the woman's traditional dress, or nagua, to hide their legs during the match. Horns, whistles, and improvised trumpets are ubiquitous.
Balseria has a negative reputation in Panama outside of the Comarca and is officially outlawed by the government. The general attitude is that balseria is a drunken, violent mess. According to the Ngäbes, while alcohol and violence are present during balseria, it is primarily a cultural event, a unique sport and a chance to demonstrate pride in their heritage.