Naso Tjër Di | |
|---|---|
 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) |
Naso Tjër Di (meaning “I am from the grandmother's river")[1] is a landlockedindigenous region ofPanama, located in the extreme northwest of the country, on the banks of theTeribe River and adjacent to theborder between Costa Rica and Panama. The region is inhabited mainly by theNaso ethnic group, which is made up of about 5000 people.
It was created on December 4, 2020 from parts ofChanguinola, 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 theLa Amistad International Park and thePalo Seco Forest Reserve.[2]
TheNaso people, through their king, have been claiming in recent years the formation of anindigenous 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, theNational Assembly of Panama approved decree 656 that created thecomarca;[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 aprotected area and that it could be in conflict with articles 4 and 120 of theConstitution 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 theConstitution and also added that theNaso 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]
The capital of the comarca is the community ofSieyic, 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 threecorregimientos:[7]
| 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 |
| Provinces | ||
|---|---|---|
Corregimiento-level Comarcas indígenas | ||
