#usekol

The Bribris are a people inhabiting the mountainous Atlantic south east coast of Costa Rica called Talamanca. The Bribris and the Cabecar have been traditionally a united people; the Bribris provided the Caciques (chieftans or kings) while the Cabecars provided the priest/ shaman know as the Usekol or Usekara.These enjoyed prestige among the people. The Cabecars had three hierarchically subdivided religious functions: The Usekol was the highest priestly function followed by the Awa, the doctor or medicine man(curandero) also considered as a Shaman and the jtsokol, the principal singer in funerary services. The Bribris and Cabecars do not bury the dead; The bodies are wrapped in cloth and leaves and hung between trees where decomposition occurs in time. The bodies are not devoured by birds of prey. The Bribris and the Cabecars are related to the indigenous peoples of Colombia; Costa Rica acted as a filter during migrations by land. Panama was a part of Colombia in the past. The Mayans are colonists that came by sea (Pacific Ocean) from Ecuador in ancient times. The Bribris and the Cabecars are not related to the Mayan culture allthough commerce and trade (interchange of goods) did occur between the peoples. The conical structure of houses is ancient and was noted in the ancient prehistoric agricultural settlements of the Ganga- Narbada divide or valley. However, the Bribris and Cabecars are not part of the Megalithic cultures. The central post is the traditional shamanic ladder to the sky (gods). This is common to the cultures in North East Asia. Even today, the Cabecars live in wooden houses built on wooden posts or stilts. The household animals live below while the family lives on the second level. The hereditary functionary known as the Usekol does exist to this day but San Jose, Cabecar which is traditionally their home is inaccessible and requires about 5 days of trekking in inhospitable jungle and mountain slopes with the help of local tribes.