I say that I keep seeing these white Indians. And what’s up with that? It turns out that the Kuna’s relative evolutionary isolation has given them a number of genetic peculiarities. Their short stature, for example, was an evolutionary trait common to any isolated jungle tribe. Like jungle Indonesians, Filipinos or the African Pygmies, the jungle necessitates their smaller size. Their isolated gene pool also helped spur their rate of albinism. The Kuna, who have the highest rate of albinos in the world, saw these pale moon children as special, as natural leaders. Because of this, the albinos have risen to their ascribed stature, often becoming political leaders or the leaders of hunting parties.
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Reports kept surfacing in other parts of the world about a mysterious tribe of white Indians. At the same time as adventurers wanted to set out to find these Indians for the sake of science, the Panamanian government wanted to bring the San Blas islands into ‘civilized’ Panamanian society. They wanted to exterminate the old Kuna customs. They wanted to end their drinking binges (a part of their puberty celebrations), and eradicate the ‘ridiculous’ dress wear of the Kuna women. They wanted to set up modern-style dance halls and schools. They wanted to pacify the Kuna, who were still rebelling at outside attempts to inhabit their land.
Panama was also attempting to expand the economic development of the region. They allowed non-Kuna the rights to fish for turtle – a prime economic mainstay for the enterprising Indians, and began taking over islands and replacing Kuna stores with their own.
From their allegiance to the British of recent history, and the way that English-speakers generally treated them the best, the Kuna forged a trust with English speakers. The Kuna turned to outside help, trying to forge action from the international community’s awareness of their plight.
