Trip 2 "La Fortuna Volcano Arenal" Part 3 The Maleku Indian Tribe.

The Maleku are an indigenous tribe in Costa Rica. Around 600 aboriginal people live on the reserve, but outsiders have come into the community as well.
The Maleku still invite tourists to visit their villages, although most tourists prefer to see them perform ceremonies in the nearby town of La Fortuna. Tourists who visit the villages, however, get a better sense of Maleku culture, even if it is somewhat diminished in modern times. One can visit the "traditional gardens of healing plants" and admire animals that still inhabit the forest, including frogs, and monkeys.

Their original diet consisted of various plants and iguanas. The Maleku still hunt for iguana meat and use the skin on their traditional drums.

We visited them on the way back from Canopying.
The leader of the tribe taught us a dance as well ;)

Some Maleku vocabulary:
kapi kapi = hello (with a knocking gesture on your partner's shoulder)
afekapian = Thank you
w-ay = yes
hebet = no