The Térraba Indigenous Territory in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, opened its doors on July 24 and 25, 2026, to host the Saberes: Filomena Navas Festival, an event featuring a variety of enriching activities.
Filomena Navas Salazar, an Indigenous leader of the Bröran people, born in 1926, was declared Benemérita de la Patria in March 2026 by the Legislative Assembly. This constituted an act of historical justice, highlighting her role in the protection of Indigenous territory, the preservation of ancestral knowledge, and political and community participation in Costa Rica during the past century.
The Festival was a meeting point for different Indigenous Peoples. In addition to the Bröran people as hosts, Indigenous participants came from the territories of Salitre, Boruca, Alto de San Antonio, Rey Curré, Cabagra, China Kichá, among others.
Various activities took place: traditional dances and music, handicrafts, gastronomy. There were also discussions, workshops, and a film forum. It was a space that honored its name “Saberes,” allowing participants to share and learn.
Discussion “Experiences and Challenges” on Access to Land and Community Action with Indigenous Women Leaders
The meeting brought together Indigenous women from different territories to reflect on their realities and share proposals around three guiding questions: the obstacles they face, the recognition of their work in communities, and possible alliances among women.
Participants included: Johanna Lázaro from Boruca; Yadith Chinchilla from Cabagra; and Eliza Rodríguez from Alto de San Antonio, with a final reflection by Elides Rivera Navas, Bröran, organization Mano de Tigre.
The Indigenous women explained that one of the main obstacles in their communities is the lack of recognition and support for their voice and leadership. In territories such as Cabagra, women’s entrepreneurship has historically lacked support, and training to strengthen traditional knowledge has not been provided.
They pointed out that those who attempt to raise their voices often face efforts at silencing, reflecting an environment marked by the lack of community and institutional support for women seeking active participation in social and cultural life. Despite this, women have organized to reverse the situation.
Another recurring challenge is limited access to education and economic opportunities. Young women face bureaucratic barriers and lack of information to enter university or choose certain careers. It was also mentioned that when requesting loans for productive projects, they are denied due to the absence of mortgage guarantees in Indigenous territories. This situation reveals structural discrimination that limits the development of their own initiatives and access to institutional resources for sustainable projects.
Political and community participation is also restricted by the persistence of machismo in the territories. In many structures, leadership remains in the hands of men, making it difficult for women to influence decision-making.
Women noted that although they participate in workshops and receive training, there is a lack of follow-up. Needs are identified but not addressed. They also pointed out that although they have knowledge, many women lack the formal certifications required to access resources or support programs. This exclusion reinforces inequality and leaves women vulnerable in relation to public institutions.
The women emphasized the importance of rescuing culture, strengthening intergenerational transmission, and creating alliances to sustain Indigenous identity in the face of discrimination and lack of institutional support.
These experiences show how development policies must be designed with ethnic relevance and guarantee the participation of Indigenous Peoples.
Community Work and Its Recognition
Indigenous women reported that much of their daily work takes place on farms and in small enterprises, such as the production of soaps, candles, or handicrafts. However, these efforts often disappear due to lack of support for promotion. They indicated that “there is no backing… to advertise, to help foster the business or recognize what is invested.”
Another aspect highlighted is the invisibility of domestic work. Being a housewife is not recognized as labor, despite being a constant and essential burden for community life. Added to this is the lack of recognition for women who produce in the fields or who engage in gastronomy and traditional medicine.
As expressed in the dialogue, “if the work has no label, you are worthless.” This demand for formality and commercial branding excludes many women who sustain local culture and economy with their traditional knowledge.
Finally, participants stressed that artisanal and cultural work, such as making bags, dresses, or products with natural fibers, faces devaluation. It was noted that “if I make a bag and sell it for fifty, they say it is not worth that, but they do not know how much it costs us: it is the work we do and they are natural inputs.”
The lack of land for cultivation and the concentration of resources in non-Indigenous hands aggravate the situation, limiting possibilities to expand production.
These experiences show that the work of Indigenous women is vital for the community but remains under-recognized and poorly supported at both institutional and consumer levels.
Education and Technology in Indigenous Territories
The use of technology has become a fundamental tool for daily life and access to information. However, it can also generate negative impacts when not used appropriately or when practices are replicated that are not culturally suitable for Indigenous territories.
One of the issues raised is the need to strengthen training processes in women’s rights and human rights. Often, lack of knowledge limits the ability to demand what is due. At times, they noted, public institutions treat people with disdain or verbal violence, and due to lack of information, women accept these situations without claiming their rights.
The digital divide is another evident challenge. Although telecommunications antennas are installed in territories, access to adequate internet service remains limited. To obtain quality connection, communities must resort to private providers, generating inequality and exclusion. This situation is repeated in territories such as Bribri and Cabagra and many others in the region.
The reflection of Indigenous women points out that technological education must be accompanied by a culturally relevant approach and real access to quality services. Only then can technology become a tool for education, marketing, and defense of rights, rather than a new factor of discrimination.
Alliances Among Indigenous Women and Institutional Support
Indigenous women emphasized that building alliances requires unity among different territories. It was mentioned that “Indigenous communities are 24 territories… we must be trained and we must be united.” The idea of working together with institutional support is seen as indispensable for Indigenous Peoples to develop and access educational, economic, and social opportunities.
The dialogue also highlighted the importance of strengthening networks of women entrepreneurs. One participant expressed that “how wonderful it would be to do it, but larger at the national level… so that all enterprises could be offered both here in the southern region and also by the companions from Talamanca.”
These experiences show that fairs and gatherings are valuable spaces to share products, services, and knowledge, and could become strategies to make the work of Indigenous women visible throughout the country.
Finally, the value of sharing knowledge and experiences among territories was emphasized. It was stated that “this is good because one gains more knowledge and also exchanges knowledge.”
The transmission of experiences in land recovery, protection of springs, and cultural strengthening was seen as a way to empower more women and create solid bonds among communities. These alliances, based on respect and mutual support, are considered essential to advance in the defense of rights and in building a fairer future for Indigenous Peoples.
Elides emphasized that these alliances must be accompanied by institutional support to confront violence and persistent machismo in the territories. She recalled that “we as women must accompany each other, be vigilant, be proactive towards other companions,” and recounted that defending abused women involved personal risks: “one day… they threw a stone… precisely because she was defending a woman in the community from her husband’s violence.”
Her reflection concluded that institutional support is indispensable for Indigenous women to empower themselves and break free from the knots of violence that still persist.
