Indigenous peoples of Panama, or Native Panamanians, are the native peoples of Panama. According to the 2010 census, they make up 12.3% of the overall population of 3.4 million, or just over 418,000 people. The Ngäbe and Buglé comprise half of the indigenous peoples of Panama. ^[1]

Many of the Indigenous Peoples live on comarca indígenas, ^[2] which are administrative regions for areas with substantial Indigenous populations. Three comarcas ( Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, Guna Yala, Ngäbe-Buglé) exist as equivalent to a province, with two smaller comarcas ( Guna de Madugandí and Guna de Wargandí) subordinate to a province and considered equivalent to a corregimiento (municipality).

Indigenous groups

• Bokota, Bocas Del Toro
• Embera, southeastern Darién Province
• Ngäbe (including the Movere and Murire peoples), mainly Chiriquí Province
• Guna, Darién Province and Caribbean side.
• Buglé, mainly Chiriquí Province
• Talamanca
• Teribe ^[1]
• Wounaan, southeastern Darién Province
• Emberá-Wounaan, mainly Emberá-Wounaan Comarca
• Bribri

Languages

Some native peoples speak Spanish, while many more retain their traditional languages. According to the 2000 census, the following indigenous languages are spoken in Panama:

• Bokota language: 933 speakers (in Panama)
• Bri-bri language: 2,521 speakers
• Buglé language: 17,731 speakers
• Emberá language: 22,485 speakers
• Guna Language: 61,707 speakers
• Naso-Teribe language: 3,305 speakers
• Ngöbe language: 169,130 speakers
• Wounaan language: 6,882 speakers ^[2]

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indigenous peoples of Panama.

• Distribution of Indigenous Populations in Panama by Province and Comarca, 2000