EmberaVillage Tours
Baskets, Plates & Masks
The women of the tribe weave these incredibly intricate baskets, plates and masks out of palm leaf fibers. They are world reknown for their beautiful work among basket collectors. All the colors are obtained from natural plant dyes they make themselves. The baskets are so tightly woven they could even hold water!
All woven work is priced at $1.00 per day it took to make it. A 4" tall basket or a 8" diameter plate usually takes about 30 days to make. 
These are just examples of their work. Each piece is unique and they come in many different sizes, styles and colors. 
Tagua Nut Carvings
The men also use their carving skills to carve Tagua nuts. The Tagua nut comes from a type of palm tree and when fresh can be eaten and tastes similar to coconut. After the nut sits for several months it becomes quite hard.
The nuts are about the size of a large walnut. It is often called "Vegetable Ivory". In fact before plastic was invented, Tagua was used to make dice and buttons world wide.
To purchase a geniune hand made basket, plate, mask, Cocobolo or Tagua carving directly from the artist;
Contact Anne: email
100% of the money you pay goes directly to the artist who made the item. The money supports their chosen traditional lifestyle.
Cocobolo Wood Carvings
The men of the tribe are skilled carvers. They carve Cocobolo wood also known as Rosewood. The Cocobolo tree is a very dense hardwood with a lot of natural resins in it,there is no stain applied to the carvings. 
The tree has a variety of colors of wood. The higher up the tree you take the wood, the lighter in color it is. Ranging from dark brown to red to a yellowish color.
Each piece is unique, depicting the animals in the jungle around them. 
