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Author Insight
Visiting the Boruca
Last Sunday I drove an hour into the mountains of southern Costa Rica to visit the indigenous tribe, the Boruca, with my guide Henry, who is Boruncan. The Boruca people are skilled mask makers and painters, as exhibited in the photo. I visited during the most important festival of the year, the Devil's Dance, where participants in masks such as this one attack another participant in a housing with a bull's face on it. The devils represent the indigenous tribe, and the bull represents the Spanish. The festival celebrates the defeat of the Spanish. On the day I was there, the bull was winning, and he didn't mess around. I saw a participant come out for first aid with a cut to his hand and a nasty black eye. But on the last day of the festival, the bull is defeated and the representation is burned. The carving still has much in common with an ancient mask I saw in their little museum. Sadly, though, Henry told me the tribe is losing its native language. Henry speaks perfect Spanish, which is ironic, and his English is also very good. I hope they can find a way to preserve their native tongue.
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Power Multiplied
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