Indigenous INSIGHTS

Bribri leader, Bernanda Morales, explains how, in her village of Yorkin, just upriver from the Caribbean coast, she’s brought back the Bribri language from the brink of extinction, creating a sustainable tourism destination in the process

Bernanda Morales (top). Facing page, clockwise from top left: Seeds from an achiote or lipstick tree, which are often used to paint the skin; A Bribri man boating along the unseasonally low waters of the Yorkin River; Chicken stew and greens being prepared in Yorkin village; Preparing a traditional Bribri lunch.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WELCOMING TRAVELLERS TO YORKIN ? It’s been 30 years since we started the Yorkin Bribri Cultural Programme, but it’s only in the last 20 that we’ve welcomed visitors. Our three main goals are to protect the forest, to improve the economy of the community and to preserve Bribri culture. It’s very satisfying that it’s lasted three decades.