This is a picture of a Guna Indian from Panama, where I currently live.

The Gunas are an autonomous group here in Panama and they live on a comarca, or reservation, along the Atlantic Coast of Panama, called Guna Yala (San Blas Islands to the Panamanians). They are a very proud people, and fought long and hard for their autonomy. Since the big boom in development here in Panama started, the Gunas have remained firm on their stance to keep their comarca undeveloped. A lot of Gunas could make a lot of money selling their land to developers, as their comarca is arguably the most beautiful land that Panama has to offer. (Picture a cartoon depiction of a tropical island- a small piece of land with one palm tree jutting out. Now multiply that by 5,000-thats Guna Yala). In terms of population, they are the 2nd smallest race in the world, so you know a Guna if you see one. Many of the women still dress like the woman depicted above. They sew a traditional Mola onto their blouse, and wrap their forearms and legs in long strands of beads. While many Gunas still live on the comarca, many have also assimilated into mainstream Panamanian society. My husbands tia was adopted from Guna Yala after her parents died there. Although it is getting better, there is still a big class divide, and people here are certainly discriminated against because of race. Some Panamanians feel that if the Gunas want their autonomy, then they should stay out of Panamanian society. In Panama City, most Gunas work the blue collar jobs and have a hard time with vertical mobility in the workplace. But like I said, things are getting better. By the way, if you would like to look them up, you will need to search for Kuna instead of Guna. They recently changed their name.