Ngäbe-Buglé () is the largest and most populous of Panama's six comarcas indígenas. It was created in 1997 from lands formerly belonging to the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. The capital is known as Buäbiti in Ngäbere and Llano Tugrí in Spanish.
Administrative divisions
Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca is sub-divided into 3 sub-regions, 9 districts and 70 corregimientos:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! District
! Corregimientos (Subdivisions)
! Cabecera (Seat)
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |Ño Kribo
|-
| Kankintú District
| Bisira, Kankintú, Guoroní, Mününí, Piedra Roja, Calante , Tolote
| Bisira
|-
| Kusapín District
| Kusapín, Bahía Azul, Cañaveral , Río Chiriquí, Tobobé
| Kusapín
|-
| Jirondai District
| Samboa, Büri, Guariviara, Man Creek, Tuwai
| Samboa
|-
| Santa Catalina o Calovébora District
| Bledeshia, Alto Bilingüe, Loma Yuca, San Pedrito, Valle Bonito
| Santa Catalina o Calovébora (Bledeshia)
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |Nidrini
|-
| Besikó District
| Soloy, Boca de Balsa, Cerro Banco, Cerro de Patena, Camarón Arriba, Emplanada de Chorcha, Nämnoní, Niba
| Soloy
|-
| Mironó District
| Hato Pilón, Cascabel, Hato Corotú, Hato Culantro, Hato Jobo, Hato Julí, Quebrada de Loro, Salto Dupí
| Hato Pilón
|-
| Nole Duima District
| Cerro Iglesias, Lajero, Hato Chamí, Susama, Jädaberi
| Cerro Iglesias
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |Kädridri
|-
| Müna District
| Chichica, Alto Caballero, Bagama , Cerro Caña, Cerro Puerco, Krüa, Maraca, Nibra, Peña Blanca, Roka, Sitio Prado, Umaní, Diko, Kikari, Dikeri, Mreeni
| Chichica
|-
| Ñürüm District
| Buenos Aires, Agua de Salud, Alto de Jesús, Cerro Pelado, El Bale, El Paredón, El Piro, Guayabito, Güibale, El Peñón, El Piro Nº2
| Buenos Aires
|}
History
Starting in 1972, the Panamanian government was required to establish comarcas, demarcated regions in which Indigenous groups possess exclusive land rights and considerable administrative autonomy. Within comarcas, people elect a General assembly, governor, and any number of regional and local leaders, although the government still controls public expenditure and tax revenues within the territory. The comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, located in north western Panama, was formed in 1997 both as a latent result of government promise and of considerable political pressure from the Ngäbe-Buglé, united by threats of natural resource exploitation and environmental degradation on their ancestral lands. The territory is made up of land previously belonging to the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas, and divided into seven districts (listed above with capitals); the capital of the entire comarca is Büäbti, located in the Müna district. As the Ngäbe-Buglé population tends to identify more with their communities than with an ethnicity and is distributed rather unevenly, the political organization that prompted the formation of their comarca is fairly unusual, but nonetheless demonstrates a powerful capacity to influence government actions. On the Caribbean slope there is no dry season and tropical forest dominates the landscape; on the Pacific slope there is a windy dry season (December to April) and a wet season. As a result of greater seasonal variation, there are more localized geographies on the Pacific slope and vegetation consists of grasses mixed with tropical forest cover. In the region most travel is done on foot or horseback as there are few year-round access roads leading into the comarca (the first ever starting out as a mine access road that runs up to Buäbti and continues to Escopeta, the location of the Cerro Colorado mine) from San Felix, a city connected to the interamericana highway via Las Cruces.
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Cultural groups
Although closely associated and collectively referred to as the Guaymí, their colonial name, the name Ngäbe-Buglé is now preferred. The Ngäbe and Buglé are two separate linguistic/Indigenous groups whose languages are mutually unintelligible. Collectively, these two groups make up the largest Indigenous population in Panama. Note the difference in spelling of Ngäbe and Ngöbe; the two variations depend on local dialects. The vowel low-back-rounded sound indicated by ä does not exist in Spanish and is confused with "o", which is sometimes further hyperforeignised as "ö". The sound represented by "ä" is , similar to the sound "aw" in the word "saw". The spelling Ngäbe, used here, is the more widely spread and correct spelling in Ngäbere.
Daily life
The Ngäbe-Bugle generally live in houses supported by sticks with a grass or zinc roof and dirt floor, wealthier families may have a cement floor. In each house a platform under the roof is used for food storage and there are a number of raised bed platforms.
Chácaras (called kra in Ngäbere), are sturdy bags made from plant fibers. They are used both as storage units and to transport materials. Occasionally you can even see infants being transported in a chácara. Some women also make these bags to sell so they may participate in the informal economy.
Families have a few large cooking pots called pailas and many keep chicha, a corn drink, in the house.
Families are usually rather large and often groups of women live close together so they can assist each other when caring for children. Polygamy was once common among the Ngäbe-Buglé as the number of wives and children a man has signifies prestige. It is no longer common since supporting multiple wives and large families is increasingly difficult.
Social capital and reciprocity networks formed through a kinship system are important for reducing economic and social resource vulnerability while creating opportunity for families to cooperate and take advantage of more opportunities that will help them and other members of their kinship group get by. Marriage and kinship relations also play a large part in determining land ownership and use rights.
thumb|We walk in Beauty
Land use
As the Ngäbe-Buglé typically practice subsistence agriculture, definitions of land ownership and use are of pinnacle importance to every household, especially as population increases in proportion to arable land in the comarca and productive land is degraded by excessive use. Ownership rights to unclaimed land are established through occupation and farming, although very little fertile land in the comarca remains unclaimed. Members of a kinship group collectively own land, but those who live in the village on the land control it. Undeniable rights to this collectively owned land belong to each member of the kinship group, while borrowed rights are often extended to the members of a spouses family, although these rights can be revoked. Fruits such as mangos, oranges, nance, grow seasonally along with cacao, all of which supplement the Ngäbe-Bugle diet. Meat is rarely eaten although many families keep cows, pigs, ducks, and chickens (mostly egg laying); sardines are a common staple and hojaldras (fried Panamanian bread) are sometimes eaten for breakfast. Most farming is done on land cleared using slash and burn techniques, and due to growing population pressures, this land is rarely left fallow for sufficient time, so crop yields tend to decrease over time. Labor is one abundant resource the Ngäbe-Buglé possess, although due to poor education and low human capital including health and nutrition, the labor force is rather unskilled. As a result, many men serve as migrant agricultural workers or leave the comarca to seek other types of informal jobs. 2008. Mining in the area, although it is legal because the property rights of subsurface resources belong to the state, poses a great environmental threat as waste materials from extraction and processing pollute local watersheds. Although they may provide temporary income, mining endeavors also have many adverse social and cultural effects in the comarca and most natives are opposed to mineral exploitation on their lands.