The Boruca: Guardians of Indigenous Wisdom, Part 2 of 2

The Boruca have preserved a strong core of their culture for many centuries. Weaving was a part of everyday life, providing clothing, blankets, hammocks, pouches, and more for the Boruca community. “We use leaves, seeds mud, tree bark, different trees such as carbonero, which is black, the mangrove which is red, the nance which is earth colored. So, you have to let them ferment for two or three days so that they release more.” Ms. Mariana Lázaro Morales highlights that many indigenous community members play a part in making each textile. “Then everything is collective, then we all win, when a piece is sold, we all win because we all help each other.”

Let’s now explore the acclaimed Boruca hand-carved wooden masks. The origin of this craft dates back over 500 years to the Spanish arrival of the Spanish. This act of bravery and courage is celebrated annually from December 30 to January 2, community members wear the wooden masks in a ceremonial tradition. Over time, wooden mask-making evolved to highlight local ecology, tropical bird-citizens, and animal-people that are important to Boruca culture, in vibrant colors and incredible detail. “Toucans, limpets, all the animals in the area, they do them now in the masks. And the masks are made of cedar, or they are made of balsa (wood).”

As we close the show, Boruca elder, craftswoman, and community leader Margarita Lázaro Morales shares a message with her community and the world, embodying the spirit of the Boruca indigenous people. “My message is to tell young people and children that we do not abandon our culture, it is the greatest thing we can have.”