Art of The Borucan (Brunka) Tribe:
El Juego de Los Diablitos
In this website, you will find out all about the indiginous art of the Borucan Indians.
The Boruca Indians are part of the tribe of the Talamanca, named after the river located just below their reserve. The Boruca people live on a land reserve granted to them by the Costa Rican government in 1956 in one of the first indigenous land grants in Costa Rica known as the Reserve Boruca Terraba. Their land is located along the bank of the Terraba River as well as high atop the frontal ridge in the Talamanca mountain range, just south of the town of Palmar Sur.
The Boruca tribe had it's own language although there are only a few elders who still speak it. The tribe has long been self sufficient farming corn, coffee, beans, cassava, papaya, pigeon peas and rice. The Boruca tribes have chosen to live in isolation, raising money through sales of carved wooden masks and woven articles.
The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are an indigenous people living in Costa Rica. The tribe has about 2,000 members, most of whom live on a reservation in the Puntarenas Province in southwestern Costa Rica. The ancestors of the modern Boruca made up a group of chiefdoms that ruled most of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, from Quepos to what is now the Panamanian border, including the Osa Peninsula.
Like their ancestors the Boruca are known for their art and craftwork, especially weaving and their distinctive painted balsa wood masks, which have become popular decorative items among Costa Ricans and tourists. These masks are important elements in the Borucas' annual Danza de los Diablitos (also known as El Juego de Los Diablitos) ceremony, celebrated every winter since at least early colonial times. The Danza depicts the resistance of the "Diablito", representing the Boruca people, against the Spanish conquistadors.
The Boruca Indians are part of the tribe of the Talamanca, named after the river located just below their reserve. The Boruca people live on a land reserve granted to them by the Costa Rican government in 1956 in one of the first indigenous land grants in Costa Rica known as the Reserve Boruca Terraba. Their land is located along the bank of the Terraba River as well as high atop the frontal ridge in the Talamanca mountain range, just south of the town of Palmar Sur.
The Boruca tribe had it's own language although there are only a few elders who still speak it. The tribe has long been self sufficient farming corn, coffee, beans, cassava, papaya, pigeon peas and rice. The Boruca tribes have chosen to live in isolation, raising money through sales of carved wooden masks and woven articles.
The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are an indigenous people living in Costa Rica. The tribe has about 2,000 members, most of whom live on a reservation in the Puntarenas Province in southwestern Costa Rica. The ancestors of the modern Boruca made up a group of chiefdoms that ruled most of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, from Quepos to what is now the Panamanian border, including the Osa Peninsula.
Like their ancestors the Boruca are known for their art and craftwork, especially weaving and their distinctive painted balsa wood masks, which have become popular decorative items among Costa Ricans and tourists. These masks are important elements in the Borucas' annual Danza de los Diablitos (also known as El Juego de Los Diablitos) ceremony, celebrated every winter since at least early colonial times. The Danza depicts the resistance of the "Diablito", representing the Boruca people, against the Spanish conquistadors.