Lizando Lopez Death & Kuna Mourning Customs | Teaching | Barracuda

Buenas!

Baudillo (the store owner in Irgandi), his wife and grandaughter with Elders Doxey and Gutke

Question: Well what’s new in Irgandi this week?

Irgandi Cemetery on Top of a Hill (picture from last September)

Elder Doxey: An 80+ year old guy named Lizando Lopez died this week. In a little village of 250 people like Irgandi, 10 of which are not Church members, a death of someone who has lived among this 250 people is a pretty big deal.

It was actually really interesting to see first-hand how Kuna people handle someone dying. I’ll try to explain. . . Lizando Lopez was baptized about two months ago, shortly after his wife had died. Toward the end of his life, he would not eat food, but somehow he would yell out “Ayudame, Ayudame” and Kunas would give him a hard narcotic from a doctor in Panama City. I think it was was oxycontin. His family was expecting him to die earlier, but he held on for awhile.

View from the Irgandi Cemetery (pic from last September)

When Lizando finally died, he was wrapped it a white blanket and taken to the congreso (the big building where the Saila Chiefs meet), and he lay there for 3 straight days. No casket. He was not on ice or anything, there was no embalming, they just put spices and herbs on him as he lay there dead for all to come see. The Kunas brought in special plants, flowers and put it all around him.

I would not say it was “a funeral” by any means…the Kunas were doing ritual like dances, smoking something weird in a pipe…the Spirit was not there at all. Meanwhile, at the Kuna cemetery (at the top of a nearby hill overlooking the ocean) some of the men in the village dug a huge hole to put him in.

Beautiful Sunrise Outside Our Irgandi Branch Building

When the hole was finally ready, a group of people wrapped him tight in the white blanket and carried him up the hill to be buried. As he was carried, everyone was crying and moaning as they trudged along. Before they put him in the hole, they smoked it out and threw in a lot of special herbs and did some other cultural Kuna stuff.

 Our role in the “services” was to give a blessing on his grave once they put him in the hole. Then, they filled in the hole and that was it. I think the death of Lizando Lopez (and all the services and mourning that went with it) actually lowered our attendance numbers last Sunday. We only had 45 people there---probably because people were maxed out from the process of his death, and getting him buried.

Question: Did you make it out to Ukupa Island this week? 
Elder Doxey: Yes! Getting there seems to be easier lately. The river we used to have to wade across was filled in with sand during the last big storm, so we just walk across sand now as part of the 1 hour to get there.

We estimate that there are 250 people in Ukupa also (40-50 who attend the branch regularly). It is a good place to find new people, because we do not know all 250 there like we do in Irgandi. We teach about 10 lessons a day. We are constantly teaching.

Question: How do you prioritize who you teach, and what you teach (both in church and day to day)?
Elder Doxey: We prioritize who we teach like this … first we go teach all the non-members on our list, then we teach the recent converts, then the long time members. The best listeners are the active members (Rafael, Yane, and others).

Huge Crab We're Cooking with Church Members

Question: Do you write out your talks for each Sunday in Dule Gaya? How do you decide what people need to hear in Church?
Elder Doxey: We really should write them out, that would help a lot. Good idea. Sometimes what we teach depends on who shows up.

Question: Have you had any more progress on getting men (who could be priesthood holders) to church?
Elder Doxey: Not really. The challenge is that the Saila Chiefs really are the ones who call the shots around here, culturally.

I would not say people are “free” to go to church when and if they want. The men specifically are literally required to be on the Saila’s work projects for most of the day, 7 days a week. Specifically, here is how it works…the Saila tells them they have to wake up at like 4 am to gather and head into the mountains nearby to work.

While the men are in the mountains, they are doing all kinds of things—hunting, farming, gathering until about 10 am. Then, they all come back and they eat, and then many get to work on making Molas (which they sell). So, when we go try to talk to them, we get the “Estoy Ocupado” reply (I’m busy). I feel for them actually, and the lack of freedom they have. If they do not comply with what the Saila Chief requires of them, they are charged the equivalent of $25, which is a lot for them.

Question: Would it be possible to talk to the Saila Chiefs in the village to see if he could let the men attend the branch?
Elder Doxey: Maybe. Maybe we could talk to the Sailas…we just haven’t had much of an opportunity to build that relationship yet. We are not allowed in their Saila Chief meetings. We sort of have to obey their “laws and customs” that way.

Question: Would it be possible to set up a “homebounds-esque” schedule, where you could take the sacrament to the men in the branch that were not able to come to sacrament meeting?
Elder Doxey: It would be possible, but it would also probably kill the branch…because this is such a tight knit village, Kunas would see that sacrament was brought to those who did not attend, and would immediately think, “there is no reason to go to church…the Elders are just going to bring it around to us.” So, that would not be good.

Question: How is your food situation holding out?
Elder Doxey: Really well. We have lots of food. This week Elder Gutke and I were sick of Dule Masi, so we made pizza! Of course we do not have an oven, but figured out a way to do this.

Our Pizza Baked in Our DIY Dutch Oven, on a Lid

Here is how it went down…on our cook stove, we turned the lid of our pot top side down (on the burner), then made some dough, and spread tomato sauce, spices and cheese over it. Then we turned out pot upside down and put it on the lid, which basically made an upside down Dutch Oven. It took a bit of time to do this, but we have an extra 3 hours everyday because of the Kuna rule that we have to be in at dark.

While we were on Ukupa this week, some of the Church members caught a huge 30 lb (3 foot long) Barracuda, which caused quite a stir in the village. Of course, they do not use a rod, reel, nets or fish finder, they are just out there on their cayuco with a long string and a hook.

Elder Doxey with the 30 lb. Barracuda

Predator with Teeth!

When they hook into an aggressive predator fish like that, they just fight it out by hand to land him in the cayuco with their bare hands. Skills! They also caught a HUGE crab and cooked it up. The Kunas are resourceful and excellent with finding good food in the sea.

Question: Why are you sick of Dule Masi? What is it?
Elder Doxey: Dule Masi is a bit of water with shredded coconut, green (guinea) plantains. That’s it. If it is really “good” Dule Masi, it also has rice in it, fish, lemon and salt (but we don’t always have that).

Elder Doxey, Baudillio, Elder Gutke, Mrs. Baudillio, Baudillio Grandaughter

Question: Who is the guy in the store, pictured with his family?
Elder Doxey: That is Baudillo and his wife and family. He owns the biggest “little store” in Irgandi. He and his wife live in Irgandi, but they are in Panama City a lot and go to church there. He and his wife are great church members. 

Elder Gutke, Waiting for Me to Do My Business

Question: What is Elder Gutke doing laying under that palm tree? 
Elder Doxey: That is where we have to go to the bathroom…far away from the village, up the beach (you can see our branch building in the background). Our hut is in the middle of the village, so our walk to go to “the bathroom” in the ocean is all the way up the beach. Elder Gutke is there waiting for me.

Question: What have you done this week in terms of service to church members?
Elder Doxey: We’ve been hauling a lot of coconuts out of the forest for them.

Hauling Coconuts Again

Question: We noticed in one of your pictures that some of the little children are wearing disposable diapers. Where do you get those on the island? 
Elder Doxey: The Colombians that are passing through trade those for coconuts and plantains. The only problem is the Kunas don’t burn them with they are done, they just dump them in the ocean so that is really bad.

Question: How much of the Book of Mormon is translated into Dule Gaya? 
Elder Doxey: About 220 pages were translated in 1991. What has been left out are most of the war chapters, and some other sections. We still use the Book of Mormon videos a lot b/c we can stop it, talk about what is going on, and more.

Elder Doxey's Machete... It's Like His Right Arm, (and was a gift from a Church Member)

Question: What can we pray for this week? 
Elder Doxey: Changes will probably be coming soon. You can pray that I never leave San Blas! Ha Ha! I love it here. I love the people and like seeing the branch progress. I know I could be right in the heart of the city, yet I am here. That said, if I get sent to another area of Panama I of course will go, but Irgandi will always be special.

Gotta run. Love to all.

Elder Doxey