PASSAGE TO PANAMA: PAST TO PRESENT

Curated by Grace Johnson, Passage to Panama: Past to Present is based on the research, collections, and photographs of William and Evelyn Phillips taken in the 1950s. This exhibit describes the lives and culture of the Guaymí peoples of the mountains of Chiriquí and Veraguas and the Chocó peoples of the Darién in the 1950s.

Chocó man and boy on the river, Darién, Panama, 1950s.
Photograph from the William and Evelyn Phillips Collection.

The Chocó, currently known as the Wounaan/Embera people, live along the rivers in the Darién region of Panama. This exhibit centers on their environment and their daily life, including rituals and healing. The Museum's collection of baskets highlights Chocó culture, which is further detailed through displays of wooden bowls, hunting and fishing implements, traditional dress and jewelry, and carved wooden staffs.

A Chocó house, Darién, Panama, in the 1950s.
Photograph from the William and Evelyn Phillips Collection.

The lives of the Guaymí, presently known as the Ngöbe, are recounted through their daily lives by looking closely at objects they use in their households, such as gourds and woven hats, as well as musical instruments associated with the balsaría ceremony. We complete this exhibit by looking at how these indigenous groups are affected by other cultures by considering their art and economy, and examining the wide range of contemporary baskets, jewelry, and woodcarvings made for sale.

The Ngöbe balsería ceremony of ritual combat, 1950s. Photographs from the William and Evelyn Phillips Collection.

Photographs taken by Dr. Julie Velasquez-Runk and Dr. Philip Young between 1997 and 2004 give a sense of the current life of indigenous peoples of the Darién. Contemporary photographs of Panama and historic and contemporary images of the Panama Canal illustrate life in Panama as it is today.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

To enhance our celebration, maximize the impact of these dynamic exhibits, and build relationships between the people of San Diego and Panama, the Museum is planning many educational programs for school children and visitors to the exhibits. These programs will bring school groups from every district in San Diego County to the exhibits. Also, educational "The People of Panama Resource Kits," containing a PowerPoint program of photographs and background information on the indigenous people of Panama, will be on loan to local schools. The kits will also contain molas in several stages of production, as well as completed molas. Other items in the kit will include musical and household artifacts, a map, and an activity book of standards-related activities. Please contact the Museum for additional information.

SCHOLARSHIPS

To make our programming for the Panama exhibits available to all area students, scholarships will be available to San Diego County schools for reduced or free admission and transportation to the Museum for guided or self-guided tours in the fall. Representatives for cross-border students and home-schooled families may apply for reduced or free admission as well. Please contact Kathleen Hamilton in the Education Department (khamilton@museumofman.org) for further information.

Sponsored by:
	Colonel Frank C. Wood Memorial Fund, Richard N. & Louette W. Smith Fund, Ingrid & Joe Hibben Discretionary Fund, Ariel W. Coggeshall Fund, and the Cultural Arts & Humanities Fund of The San Diego Foundation
	City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture
	County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program
	Semusa-Panama
	The Parker Foundation
	Thomas Ackerman Foundation