Going on a tour of an Embera Village with Californian Anne Gordon is special – she’s married to a member of the tribe. Anne, an expat who used to train animals for the movies, is able to provide a unique perspective both as an insider and an outsider. She leads tourists to her husband’s small, remote village and gives them a peek into what was once a primitive lifestyle.

Back in 2004, Anne was part of a movie crew filming "The End of the Spear", a picture that cast the Embera Indians in the role of a South America jungle tribe that murdered some missionaries. What Anne found was that the open, friendly and generous Embera were not type cast as a dangerous indigenous people, but rather quite the opposite. She also immediately found that she admired the simple lifestyle of these people who seemed so happy; and then soon, she fell in love with Otniel Barrigon, one of the actors in the movie.

Anne Gordon sits on the side of the cayuco (dug out canoe) just like the natives
as she transports tourists out to her home in an Emberá village.

Since then, Anne has married Otniel and has been accepted into his family, with a special relationship with her mother-in-law Agricia, who has taken her into her home without walls and taught her basket weaving among other things. Anne, who has long blonde hair, usually knotted in a ponytail, has been doing freelance tours to the village of Embera Puru for over four years. Then she started her own company and website in December of 2007, www.emberavillagetours.com, which is a family affair, with her brother-in-law Erito Barrigon giving talks on the traditions and culture of the village and her father-in-law Aseroi Barrigon, often leading a pleasant walk through the jungle looking for medicinal plants.

After getting in touch with Anne either by e-mail at anne@embervillagetours.com or phoning 507-6758-7600, guests will be picked up at their hotel and then driven out through Gamboa to an obscure boat ramp at the edge of the Chagres National Park watershed. From there the visitors take an open “cayuco” (dug-out canoe) on a 40-minute ride in the rainy season or a longer trip in the dry season, when the “boteros” (boat men) might have to get out and push through the shallows.

Around a bend in the silent river, the first sighting of the thatched-roof huts up on stilts is a timeless thrill. Soon the party is greeted by a band of villagers playing a musical welcome. Their instruments are simple drums, pipes and rattles.

The most surprising thing about the trip is how authentic the entire experience feels, even though it is obviously staged for the benefit of the tourists. There is a large bohio with tables displaying crafts for sale; and under which Erito presents his lecture on his people’s way of life; and where the women of the tribe perform their native dances. Camera flashes follow the dancers as they circle the floor. Yet, the Indians carry it all off with a natural, unselfconscious grace that is remarkable. The small women are bare breasted and wear colorful printed skirts but in an unpretentious even modest manner. The men stand poised and confident in nothing but a bright orange or blue loin cloth. Aserio leads his nature walk with a dignity that seems to go back generations. The prices for the crafts appear to be about a third of what you pay in gift shops in the city, but are of good quality. Some of the intricate designs of the water-proof baskets take six months to weave.

And then, there’s the children. No little money beggars here; but rather innocents who want to be friends — small trusting souls who will jump in any adult’s lap and include any visiting child in gleeful play. Little or no whining or crying is heard, but plenty of laughter. Everybody poses for photographs proudly and without expecting a tip, which always makes it easier to offer one. A lunch of fried fish and “patacones” (plantains) wrapped in a palm leaf is provided, but folks on the tour should be warned to bring water.

This village is Anne Gordon’s new home, with her husband and extended family that have adopted her with affection. Among the open-air huts, an uncomplicated life seems to be expressed honestly and offered to the visitor simply. As a typical tourist rides back in the open boat, exposed to the elements, it is possible to understand why Anne is willing to share her insight into an as-of-yet unspoiled corner of Panama. What could be an intrusion, instead is handled by the Indians with such good humor that Embera Puru turns out to be a time capsule that provides some eternal clues to a simpler life still hidden at times just around the next bend in a jungle river.

This is an article written by Craig J. Weincek, and provided to www.panamabusinessandtravel.com a site offering information on Panama in both business and tourism. Readers wishing to find further information regarding the country of Panama should visit www.panamabusinessandtravel.com.