Naso Tjër Di Comarca

Naso Tjër Di (meaning “I am from the grandmother's river")^[1] is a landlocked indigenous region of Panama, located in the extreme northwest of the country, on the banks of the Teribe River and adjacent to the border between Costa Rica and Panama. The region is inhabited mainly by the Naso ethnic group, which is made up of about 5000 people. It was created on December 4, 2020 and has an area of 1,606.16 square kilometres (620.14 sq mi), of which 1468.63 km² (91% of the territory) are protected areas of the La Amistad International Park and the Palo Seco Forest Reserve.^[2]

Naso Tjër Di
Comarca indígena
Flag
Country	Panama
Capital	Sieyic
Government
• Type	Elective Monarchy
• King	Ardinteo Santana Torres
• Council	Naso General Council
Area
• Total	1,606.16 km2 (620.14 sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (ETZ)

History

The Naso people, through their king, have been claiming in recent years the formation of an indigenous region, seeing that the other indigenous ethnic groups in Panama had their own, and also as a way to protect the cultural identity of that ethnicity.^[3]

On October 25, 2018, the National Assembly of Panama approved decree 656 that created the comarca;^[4] however, the president of Panama at that time, Juan Carlos Varela, vetoed it on December 14 of that same year, taking into account the concerns of environmental sectors that an indigenous region cannot be erected in a protected area and that it could be in conflict with articles 4 and 120 of the Constitution of Panama.^[5]

The case was taken to the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama, where on November 12, 2020, it issued a ruling indicating that the decree does not conflict with the Constitution and also added that the Naso people are one of the seven indigenous peoples that ancestrally have inhabited Panama, giving green light to the creation of the comarca.^[6]

On December 4, 2020, the then president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, sanctioned Law 188, thus allowing the creation of the new region.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

In 2022, the process to draft the Organic Charter of the Naso Tjër Di Comarca began with the General Council's approval of the project to Strengthen the Indigenous Agenda of Panama (FAIP). his charter serves as a foundational document that outlines the structural components of the foundation, including its functions and guiding principles.^[12]

Administrative divisions

The capital of the comarca is the community of Sieyic, where the Naso king is settled.^[7]

The comarca is made up of the special district Naso Tjër Di, and in turn is divided into three corregimientos:^[7]

• Teribe
• San San Drui
• Bonyik

Monarchs

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Reynaldo Alexis Santana		2011	31 July 2023	Suspended after being convicted of raping a minor in 2016[13]	Santana
Ardinteo Santana Torres		31 July 2023	incumbent	Interim king for 5 years[13]	Santana

References

1. "In Panama, an Indigenous kingdom fights for its right to the forest". Mongabay Environmental News. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
2. "Nueva comarca ocupará áreas protegidas en Bocas del Toro y Chiriquí". La Prensa. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
3. TVN Noticias. "Rey indígena de Panamá: si Varela no firma la ley, cerramos la frontera". Retrieved December 8, 2020.
4. TVN Noticias. "Asamblea aprueba en tercer debate la creación de Comarca Naso". Retrieved December 8, 2020.
5. La Prensa. "Por afectar áreas protegidas el presidente Varela veta proyecto de ley para crear la comarca Naso". Retrieved December 8, 2020.
6. Corte Suprema de Justicia de Panamá. "EL PLENO DE LA CSJ REITERA QUE LAS COMARCAS INDÍGENAS SON PARTE DE LA HERENCIA HISTÓRICA DE NUESTRA NACIÓN". Retrieved December 8, 2020.
7. "Ley 188 que crea la Comarca Naso Tjër Di" (PDF). Gaceta Oficial de Panamá. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
8. "Laurentino Cortizo sanciona ley que crea la comarca Naso Tjër Di, la sexta de Panamá". Panamá América (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
9. La Prensa. "Cortizo sanciona ley que crea la comarca Naso Tjër-Di". Retrieved December 8, 2020.
10. "Presidente Cortizo sanciona ley que crea la comarca Naso Tjër-Di – En Segundos Panama" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
11. "Naso Tjër Di: Panamá convierte el último reino indígena de América en comarca". La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
12. "The General Council of the Comarca Naso Tjër Di of Panama validates the draft of its Organic Charter". FSC Indigenous Foundation. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
13. Panamá, GESE-La Estrella de. "La Comarca Naso Tjër Di designa a Ardinteo Santana Torres, rey interino por 5 años". La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-09.