The One with the Guyami Confusion

Do you know where the word “gringo” comes from? I have been told the term either refers to a song sung by American frontiersmen during the Mexican-American war titled "Green Grow the Rushes" or that the word comes from the idea that the Americans were taunted with cries of “green go!” during this same American-Mexican war. The latter story I view with a bit of skepticism, due to the fact that our soldiers did not have green uniforms until WWII, but who knows, could have some truth to it. I believe pretty much everything though, so I will let you be your own judge.

Well, for the past 48 months, I have been doing some amateur etymology work of my own, trying to find the history of a certain word. Recently, I finally have received an answer that actually makes some since.

Here is the deal:

The indigenous group I work and live and spend ALL of my time with are called the Ngäbe Indians, sometime spelt Ngobe, but always pronounced the same, NO-BAY. They are one of 7 indigenous groups in Panama, and said to be the second largest indigenous group in central America, right behind the Mayan (which make me feel pretty ignorant that I knew nothing about them until I came to live with them)

Anyways, I have questioned many things since I have been here, como and por que are my two favorite words. I feel like a little child, questioning everything: How do you make a boat out of tree? And once you make it how do you get it out of the jungle? And once it is in the water how do you keep it from tipping over? How do you open a coconut? Why do you build your homes off the ground? How do you harvest piva? Where does chocolate come from? How do you keep the school uniforms so clean? Why don’t you have to wear shoes? How do you sharpen a machete? How do you know that is edible? And so on.

Most of my questions have been answered through experience, observation, or trial and error, and some questions will simply go unanswered, which is fine. But there was one question that seemed so basic. It seemed like a question that should have a simple answer, and it did, it just took me a long time to figure it out. The question was this; if the name of the indigenous group is Ngäbe, then why is it that any outsider, Ex-patriot, gringo, tourist, missionary, Non-profit organization, or outside news source always referred to them as Guyami Indians? Where did that name Guyami come from? Am I missing something? or are these outsiders simply just misinformed?

No one in my community seemed to have an answer, they knew that they were all indigenous Ngäbe, but they also knew that for many years, that they have also been called Guyami Indians. One answer I received from a community member was that to be Ngäbe you have to live in the reservation, and since they live just outside of it in Bocas del Toro, they have to have a different name. I have also been told that Guyami refers to a certain group of Ngäbes whose decedents all came from a same large Ngäbe village in the reservation called Cricamoula, but the most common answer I get is just that to be Ngäbe and to be Guyami are simply just the same thing.

But in my efforts to encourage my community to be proud to be Ngäbe, and to hold on to their culture and tradition, I just couldn’t let this question go. Also it seemed to be a reoccurring theme, that many “outsiders” would show up in the community, thinking they were well informed, and then refer to the people as Guyami Indians

Well, the other day, I received an answer from a very well educated Ngäbe man from another community that I actually think might have some truth to it.

First, do me a favor, say this word, Guyami, a few times out load. It is pronounced Gwai me. Gwai me. Gwai me. Now think of the story with the word “Gringo” and try to think about what this word Guyami might sounds like?

The story goes like this:
Christopher Columbus, and the Spaniards were the first to discover Bocas del Toro, but it was actually the English who first to establish settlements. When they arrived, they brought many labors in from the neighboring Ngäbe reservation to work on the banana plantations. Actually, Bocas was purely an English speaking part of Panama for many years. You will still find that the oldest generations speak the English that they learned when working on the plantations. Anyways, the story goes that the Ngäbe Indians were brought in as cheap labor, or pretty much slaves, and they were bossed around by the businessmen running the farms… “go do this” or “go do that” they would yell, and the Ngäbe would respond in what little English they knew, in the accent of their native language with “Why me?” and so the uninformed, unaware or possibly ignorant English men started calling this ethnic group the “Guyami.” (Gwai me?)

Just like some Americans may take offense to being referred to as a “gringo” Ngäbes may take offense to being referred to a Guyami. I don't think my community would take offese, like I said, they have been called it for so long that they just simply believe that is who they are, now it is part of their heritage. But, I do think there are some people, and some Ngäbes who would take offense to someone calling them a Guyami Indian, because really that may be in direct reference to the days when they worked as slaves. We can’t say for sure, but I think that all of us Peace Corps volunteers that work in Ngäbe communities would agree that maybe it is time we reinvent the wheel, or break the chain, and remember and appreciate and recognize this amazing group of people by their traditional and respectful and more politically correct name, Ngäbe.

~ Meti