In this oral history, Guna elder Humberto Alvarado Obaldía recounts the origins and meaning of Gammu Burwi—a sacred traditional dance of the Guna people. Tracing the lineage of teachers, instruments, and rituals from the community of Narganá to Mamardub, he reflects on the impact of the 1925 Guna Revolution, the temporary loss of cultural practices, and their eventual revival.
Full Transcript
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My father’s name is Manidibiguiña (Federico Santiago Alvarado), my mother’s name is María Obaldia.
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I’m going to talk a little about the Gammu (instruments, flutes)
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When I lived in Panama, I began to look for the origin of the Guna dance and how it was created and what the steps are.
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My father practiced the dance (Gammu Burwi) with his cousin Iguaidipiler (Julio Medina)
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they were born in the community of Narganá (Yandup),
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in this community they learned about the dance (Gammu), they learned with a man named Bida,
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Bida also learned with Ner-bagua, all of them are from Nargana (Yandup).
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My father and his cousin moved to Mamardub (Tigre),
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they know about dance, they make Gammu, Argar, Gansuet,
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in the Tigre community lived the saglas (Religious authority,
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highest authority of a community, knowledgeable about Bab Igala),
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Their objective is to help expand these rituals and do it in the community like,
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Durba, Inna mutikid (Night Party), Inna Dummad (Big Party), Inna Dunsikaled (Haircut Party type mocha),
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that’s what my father told me, that’s why they moved here.
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In 1925 during bila (Guna Revolution), they moved away from those cultural practices,
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since my father also fought in the Ailigandí community.
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During these times in the community of Ailigandí the colonial police arrived, opened canteens, and it was total chaos,
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but it was not until 1940 that the Guna dance was taken up again,
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and peace and coexistence returned to the community.
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since what they had learned had not been forgotten,
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The Gammu did not just start out like that, if it does not have its objective, Issed nigga,
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if you learn deeply about gammu you will be specialists,
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and if you do not learn properly, you will not grow or go deeper into gammu.
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The gammu must be well taken care of and cleaned to hang on the walls, you have to love it,
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it came out in inna neggi (House of chicha) through dance,
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but it is not danced in the streets, or in any place that is not in Inna neggi,
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first Usga abarmagge (Dance of Ñeque), second Warwalig-dodolegged,
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Nogga dodolegged, Siggi-dodolegged, Gurgurggi-dodolegged,
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utaeggi-dodolegged (they shout utaee, utaee), Ganirmaked (hunt the rooster),
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gammu yalumaked, Ussaed (it is danced singing, it is only danced at 1 in the morning by orders of Gandur).
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At first they played the gammu, they started dancing and the sound NOG NEG NED NEG came out,
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the movement of the feet moves with the sound of the flute (Gammu),
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when the sound NEG NED sounds the foot moves and the feet are bent half sitting at the waist,
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and so on twice, then NEDDED NEDDED, they turn around, and then the turn in the opposite direction,
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thus the guna dance was born (gammu burwi).