Bokotas

The Bokotas, also called Bugleres, are an Amerindian ethnic group in Panama. They live in Bocas del Toro and north of Veraguas. They dedicate themselves to livestock, fishing and hunting. They still use weapons like bows and arrows and spears or fish nets. Men wear shirts of "manta-sucia" while women dress similarly to Ngobes. They wear necklaces, facial paint of black and red, and shiny hair combs. They make hats of vegetable fibers, backpacks, baskets, and daily dresses called "cobo." They live in round houses on stilts. They are monogamous and the Bokotas have mixed themselves with the Ngobe Bugles, but there are still "pure" families. There are many traditional ceremonies of theirs like the ceremony of lightning so it will not fall on their houses. There is a total population in Panama of 3,784 Bokota Indians. Bokota Indians live in the same region as the Teribe or Naso Indians.