The Boruca: Guardians of Indigenous Wisdom, Part 1 of 2

The Boruca, also known as the Borunca, Brunka, or Brunca, are an indigenous community of approximately 2,600 people known for their incredible artistic talents, canoe-making skills, and strong connection to Mother Nature. Their home is the Reserva Indígena Boruca, located in southwestern Costa Rica, near the Térraba River and within the Talamanca Mountain range of the Puntarenas Province.

As we begin, we are honored to be joined by Ms. Feliciana González Lázaro and Ms. Margarita Lázaro Morales, Boruca elders, community leaders, and co-founders of the Community Museum of Boruca. Adhering to their ancient way of life, the Boruca community carefully preserves many ecological sites, such as mountains, volcanoes, and a waterfall in the Puntarenas Province. “Many experiences and a lot of knowledge, but respecting nature at all times and at all times. It was what our grandparents always taught me, especially my grandmother taught me. Ask the beach for permission when you arrive and give it grace when you leave and respect all of nature because you have to take care of it.”

Many individuals within the Boruca indigenous society are working hard to preserve their ancient culture and legacies while also inspiring the next generation. One of them is Mr. Jose Eusebio Lázaro Ortiz. “For me the most representative, and since I was a child is the jaguar, but there is also the hummingbird. First, because both are strength, both are perseverance. We have to transmit knowledge, joy, that strength, to continue forward, because if not, then we don’t exist.” “Let’s evolve! Let’s try to return to our roots with new ways of teaching or transmission of knowledge, but sticking to what our grandparents told us.”