Northern Choco

The Northern Chocó are a Cariban-speaking Indigenous people inhabiting the lowlands of Panama and Colombia. They primarily live in villages situated along rivers that flow into the Golfo de San Miguel in Panama and along the Pacific coast of Colombia.1

Their villages are characterized by round dwellings built on stilts, typically located near rivers. The Chocó practice shifting horticulture, a slash-and-burn method, focusing exclusively on cultivating food crops. They are skilled hunters, utilizing both bows and arrows and blowguns with poisoned darts.1

Chocó society is structured around the household, with the eldest male serving as the primary spokesperson. Their legends recount battles with the neighboring Kuna people, and they successfully resisted Spanish incursions in the 17th century.1