The Guna, also known as Kuna or Cuna, are an indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. The current preferred and legally recognized spelling is Guna. In the Kuna language, they call themselves Dule or Tule, meaning "people". The Kuna live in three politically autonomous comarcas or reservations in Panama, and in a few small villages in Colombia. There are also communities of Kuna people in Panama City, Colón, and other cities. The most Kunas live on small islands off the coast of the comarca of Kuna Yala known as the San Blas Islands. The Kuna’s are a community of proud people that have their own laws, norms and values that go with their culture, which is by the way totally different than the traditional Panamanian culture. The community island Playon Chico is home to roughly 1,400 people, including many large families with young children. There is no infrastructure, such as running water, electricity, sewage or a garbage removal system. Energy is sourced from solar panels placed randomly on hut roofs and posts, water is brought in from the mainland or captured rainwater, and all waste is largely disposed directly into the ocean. Connection to the outside world is through cell phones and direct satellite TV dishes. Cooking is typically over an open fire in thatched huts.
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