Kan Tan Project, Costa Rica - Ecological Development in Indigenous Territory

Boruca

Boruca reveals itself to visitors as they drive downhill, displaying its lovely and haphazardly located houses and its endearing ranchos made of palm and zacate (hay), all standing along seemingly playful narrow paths.

The town of Boruca itself is most charming, witness to the transition from indigenous to farming village, with its dirt streets and unlocked doors. The houses and hearts of the Boruca locals are indeed open to visitors. Many houses have patios with orange groves under which laze dogs, cocks and hens, and the occasional curious rabbit ...

Handicrafts and crafts

Boruca is the quintessential indigenous craft town. There’s at least one artisan per household, but there are also associations of artisans, like AMAB and La Flor, that participants can visit to learn and to purchase handicrafts. Participants will also be able to visit working family workshops, where the techniques are explained and demonstrated.

Artesanías

The Brunka artisans work in four main areas: masks, jícaros (bowls), weaving and baskets.

The wooden masks, made of balsa or cedar and traditionally worn in ceremonies and the ‘diablitos’ dance, represent animals and devils. They also make javas (baskets) out of bejuco (a kind of liana), which they use to carry things, fastening them to the forehead with cotton or natural fibre strings.

The jícaros or huacales were - and still are - used as domestic implements. In the past, they were used to carry water to those who were working. They are carved with different patterns and make pretty and useful souvenirs.

The woven cloths are made of cotton and coloured with natural dyes from extracts of molluscs, tree barks, roots, leaves, and even mud. They were used to make traditional Brunka women’s skirts.

In Boruca, the visitor will also find other handicrafts, such as bows and arrows as well as drums.

Natural sites and their legends

There are many attractive natural sites in the area. For example, the nearby waterfalls - a 15 minute walk away – where you will be able to see both waterfalls from above, sit and relax on the enormous rocks as a local tells the legends of the waterfall, with the lulling sound of the murmuring waters in the background. And if you dare to descend, you better be fit and have nerves of steel! You can also visit the Pico de Loro, a rocky formation in the shape of a parrot beak, inside which - legend has it – enchanted beings live...

The most important legend is the legend of Tatica Kuasran, and although there are as many versions as there are Borucas, most of them agree that one of the watch-mountains is actually Tatica. It is said that he went to that enchanted place hundreds of years ago and that he visits the town from time to time, although nobody recognises him. He comes down to join in the festivals and celebrations, or to take someone with him to his enchanted place. Everybody knows where it is, and some have even seen its gate, but those who have crossed it have never returned...

His son Sancrawa inhabits the mountain opposite it. He is like his father, though less powerful. Together, they watch over and guard the town of Boruca. They are much respected, but also feared. You will, therefore, enjoy hearing the legends and maybe even visit the place, but hardly anyone will lead you to the enchanted gate...

The Kan Tan Educational Farm

At present, the main rancho has been completed, with its thatched roof and its singular architecture. The kitchen houses a wood stove and oven, has a palm roof and a small installation where the roof is made from a leaf called cola de gallo (rooster’s tail).

Boruca, like many other farming and indigenous towns in the country, has undergone a process of assimilation or acculturation into the dominant society. It has tried hard to join the country’s economic life, at the expense of its traditions and an inappropriate use of its natural resources.

Traditional craft activities, the main source of income, have not been accompanied by a sustainable programme for renewable raw materials (balsa, jícaros, cotton, tree bark for the dyes). As a result, there’s a significant reduction in these native species and a consequent increase in costs, as the materials must be currently purchased.

On the other hand, houses built in ways and materials alien to the Brunka culture have replaced the traditional home or rancho pajizo, which has proven its bioclimatic adaptability for centuries. At present, there is only one rancho, both a museum and a meeting-place, and an 89-year old Brunka elder who is the only one who still knows the technique of roof weaving.

Deforestation, the endangerment or extinction of the local fauna, pollution in the gully and the waterfall of Boruca, inadequate waste management, the loss of the notion of “mano vuelta” or mutual help, are but some of the symptoms that show how foreign the culture and the relationship with Nature so characteristic of the indigenous peoples have become.

Goals of the project

General goal:

To implement a model of ecological development, which will make it possible to restore the Earth, rescue the local culture and find new ways of integrating the indigenous population to the economic life of the country.

Specific goals:

To contribute to the restoration of the Earth through:

reforestation of damaged areas;
the use of biotechnologies;
protecting and reintroducing native fauna and indigenous flora species;
practising permaculture to grow medicinal, edible and other plants.

To contribute to rescuing the indigenous culture through:

protecting the finca’s archaeological sites;
supporting and educating about the indigenous culture;
fomenting cultural exchanges with other indigenous peoples;
supporting indigenous spirituality and its rituals, also by providing spaces like the “ÚSURÉ” where spiritual guides can conduct spiritual ceremonies and healing processes;
valuing traditional indigenous houses by using traditional techniques to build ranchos and passing down the traditional building techniques to the new generation.

To contribute to ecodevelopment in Boruca through:

generating new sources of income for the Boruca population while reinforcing existing means;
improving environmental sanitation by using clean technologies, recycling, cleaning the Boruca gully;
training the different sectors of the population in the different aspects relating to ecodevelopment;
integrating primary and secondary schools student populations by carrying out productive projects which will not cause harm to Mother Nature.

Main Festivals

The most important and popularly awaited festival is the Fiesta de los Diablitos (‘Little Devils Festival’), a re-enactment of the war between the Spanish conquistadores and the local natives, which is celebrated once a year. It begins on December 30th at midnight, when the little devils are born, and finishes on January 2nd at 6 pm, when the bull is killed. This festivity generates a proud sense of identity in a community that actively joins in the celebrations for four days, constantly supplying the diablitos with chicha and tamales.

Health and Visas

As in most of Costa Rica, the tap water is safe to drink. There is also no malaria in this area. Although there are some recommended immunisations for travellers to be aware of. Courses or boosters usually advised: Hepatitis A, Typhoid. Vaccines sometimes advised: Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Rabies, Diphtheria. But you must verify this information with your doctor.

Citizens from the USA, Canada, the UK and most Western Europe countries can stay in Costa Rica for 90 days without having to obtain a visa. Other nationalities may only be able to remain for 30 days with or without a visa. For more information on visa requirements, visit the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at http://www.migracion.go.cr/visas/index.html# or contact your embassy.

How to get involved as a Group?
If you are interested to participate in the Kan Tan Project as a group, please firstly email: Victoria.McNeil@workingabroad.com so that we can establish dates, programmes, numbers, cost and so on. After this, we can prepare a draft itinerary and formalise arrangements.

How to get involved as a Volunteer?

If you are interested in joining this project as a volunteer, you will need to fill out the online application form (you can also print it out and send it to us by post) – to secure a placement on the project, please complete and submit the form including two references and your deposit of £120. If for some reason, your application is declined, we will reimburse this deposit fully. However for those who are accepted, the full amount needs to be paid one month before departure. Once the full sum is paid, you will receive a pre-departure package with all detailed information on your project, Boruca, suggested items to bring etc.

Several photos from these pages have been reproduced with kind permission from Michelle Elliot, ex-Kan Tan Volunteer