Indigenous Peoples of Osa Today: Brunca, Térraba, Ngäbe

The short answer

Who: the Brunca (Boruca and Curré), the Térraba and the Ngäbe have territories in or beside the Osa canton.
Size: the largest nearby are Boruca (1,933 Indigenous residents) and Térraba (1,267), according to the 2011 census.
Culture: Boruca masks, natural-dye weaving and the Diablitos festival, protected as heritage.
Visit: Boruca welcomes day visitors and homestays; arrange ahead, ask before photographing and buy from named makers.

Territories in and around Osa

Costa Rica recognizes 24 Indigenous territories belonging to eight peoples. These are the ones that touch Osa or lie right beside it. A territory’s total population includes non-Indigenous residents, which is why two numbers are shown.

Territory	People	Cantons	Total population	Indigenous population
Boruca	Brunca	Buenos Aires, Osa	3,228	1,933
Curré	Brunca	Buenos Aires, Osa	1,089	660
Térraba	Térraba (Teribe)	Buenos Aires	2,084	1,267
Osa	Ngäbe	Osa	159	108
Conteburica	Ngäbe	Golfito, Corredores	1,863	1,144
Altos de San Antonio	Ngäbe	Corredores	342	180
Abrojo Montezuma	Ngäbe	Corredores	1,494	610

Source: 2011 census (INEC), table of the 24 Indigenous territories, as published by CELADE/CEPAL. Figures are 15 years old; the next census will update them.

The Brunca of Boruca and Curré

Boruca and Rey Curré are the best-known Indigenous communities of the south, and the ones most open to visitors. Their culture is visible in three things.

Masks and weaving. Carved wooden masks and textiles made with natural dyes. The Boruca Community Museum, started in 1980 by a group of Boruca women to recover Brunca culture and opened to the public on 5 April 1986, shows both and sells signed crafts that fund the building and its projects.
The Diablitos. A yearly festival, called Cabrurojc in the Brunca language, that dramatizes the resistance of the Boruca people against the Spanish, who are represented by a bull. It is held in Boruca from about 30 December to 2 January and in Rey Curré, where it began in 1979, on the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February. Executive Decree 40766-C (2017) declared it Intangible Cultural Heritage of Costa Rica.
Protected knowledge. In 2019 the Industrial Property Registry rejected a clothing trademark called “Diablitos” that used a mask logo, after the Boruca development association objected. The ruling treats the Boruca mask as traditional Indigenous knowledge and national intangible heritage.

The Térraba, on the river that names the delta

The Térraba are a branch of the Teribe people, whose homeland is in Panama. According to the linguistic record, a Teribe clan moved to what is now Costa Rica in 1695. Over the 19th and 20th centuries the community gradually took on Costa Rican culture and its language nearly disappeared: around the year 2000 only three fluent speakers remained.

Their land is a long-running issue. The Térraba received title to part of their traditional territory in 1956. A report published in 2010 by the Forest Peoples Programme with Indigenous organizations states that the title was reduced in 2004 without consultation and that close to 90% of the titled area was occupied by non-Indigenous people. We have not verified the current status, so we recommend asking the community directly.

The Ngäbe of Osa and the Golfo Dulce

The Ngäbe are a people of Panama and Costa Rica. Most live in the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in western Panama; in Costa Rica they hold five territories in the southwest. The territory called Osa is small: the 2011 census counted 159 residents, 108 of them Indigenous. Further south, Conteburica (in Golfito and Corredores, with the district of Pavón) is much larger, with 1,144 Indigenous residents.

Ngäbe women make bags from plant fibers and wear the nagua, a long dress with geometric patterns. If you meet Ngäbe families in the south, treat them as you would any neighbor: with respect and without turning them into a photo.

How to visit with respect

Principle	In practice
Ask before you photograph	Ask each person, and at festivals expect to pay a photo permit; the money goes back to the community.
Buy directly from the maker	Masks and textiles are made by named artisans. The museum shop in Boruca signs each piece with its maker’s name. A mask sold without a maker is a red flag.
Pay fair prices, don’t haggle hard	A carved mask takes days of work. Compare with the price of a signed piece before you decide.
Come as a guest, stay with a family	Boruca welcomes day visits and homestays organized by the community. Arrange them in advance through the community, not on the day.
Treat festivals as ceremony	The Diablitos are a community story of resistance, not a show. Stay behind the lines, don’t touch the masks and follow the organizers’ instructions.
Check before you go	Roads, bus times and opening hours change. Ask the community or your lodge, and use a 4x4 in the rainy season.

Practical details on Boruca (access via Buenos Aires, 4x4, homestays, photo permits) come from a 2020 visitor report and the museum’s listing; please confirm before you travel. We do not list phone numbers because we could not verify them.

Keep reading

History of Osa → · The stone spheres of Finca 6 → · Festivals calendar → · Regenerative travel →

We wrote this page from public sources and we want community voices in it. If you belong to one of these communities and want to correct or add something, write to [email protected].

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Are there Indigenous communities in the Osa canton?

Yes. The 2011 census lists a small Ngäbe territory called Osa (159 residents, 108 of them Indigenous) and shows the Boruca and Curré territories, home to the Brunca people, reaching into the canton. The Térraba territory and the Ngäbe territories of Conteburica and Altos de San Antonio lie right next door, in Buenos Aires, Golfito and Corredores.

Can I visit Boruca?

Yes, and the community welcomes day visitors and homestays. The access town is Buenos Aires de Puntarenas; a 4x4 is advised because the road can wash out. The Boruca Community Museum, started in 1980 by a group of Boruca women, is listed as open daily from 9:00 to 16:00; confirm before you go. Information on the trip is from 2020 and may have changed.

When is the Diablitos festival?

In Boruca it runs about 30 December to 2 January each year. In Rey Curré it is held on the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February. It was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Costa Rica by Executive Decree 40766-C (2017). Check our festivals calendar for the dates of the next edition.

How do I know a Boruca mask is authentic?

Buy from the community: the Boruca museum shop, workshops of named carvers or the Artesanos Naturales de Boruca association. Ask who made it. In 2019 Costa Rica’s Industrial Property Registry rejected a clothing brand called “Diablitos” after the Boruca development association objected, recognizing the mask as protected traditional knowledge.

Should I say “Guaymí” or “Ngäbe”?

Say Ngäbe. “Guaymí” is a name colonists gave and is now considered outdated; “ngäbe” means “people” in their own language. Costa Rican documents often write Ngöbe, because Spanish has no ä; the 2011 census table uses “Ngöbe o Guaymí”.

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