Excerpt from Material Culture of the People of Southeastern Panama, Based on Specimens in the United States National Museum

Southeastern Panama is historically the Oldest region Of conti neutal America. Here, early in the sixteenth century, in so-called Darien, the country extending from the Chepo or Bayano River on the Pacific slope near the Canal Zone southeastward to the Atrato River on the Caribbean slope near the Colombian border, were made the first Spanish explorations and settlements. Within a few years, indeed as early as 1518, the Spanish were forced to leave Darien because Of conflict with native tribes and, later, with English buccaneers and freebooters. They then established themselves at Panama City, more than 100 miles farther west along the Pacific coast.

History of collections from southeastern Panama in National Ma seum. - Ethnologically, southeastern Panama has remained practically unknown. It is therefore the Object Of this handbook to catalogue and to describe the several ethnological collections from this region now in the United States National Museum. Aside from the Wil liam Markham collection in the Tioga Point Museum, Athens, Pa., partially described in the Bulletin Of Tioga Point Museum, January, 1925, and the A. Hyatt Verrill Collection in the Museum Of the American Indian, New York, described in Indian Notes, October, 1924, no catalogue Of collections illustrative of the material culture Of the native tribes Of southeastern Panama has been published.

Collections of W. M. Gabo. - The western half of the Pana manian Republic, from the Canal Zone westward to Costa Rica, is better known anthropologically, and several well-known studies rela tive to the archeology and ethnology Of the aboriginal tribes have been published. As early as 1873 Dr. W. M. Gabb had studied the Bribri, Talamanca, and other tribes Of Costa Rica and had forwarded to the United States National Museum a collection Of necklaces.

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