Preserving Costa Rican indigenous culture at BriBri Pa Kaneblo

After we took a turn at using the heavy rock to grind corn, the elders at BriBri Pa Kaneblo took us to a beautiful spot in the forest that has been traditionally used for purification ceremonies, especially for mothers and newborn babies.

BriBri Pa Kaneblo is in the BriBri Salitre Indigenous Territory near Buenos Aires, in Costa Rica's southern zone. When we visited there in February 2010, the elders greeted us in their native language and took us on a walk through their rainforest reserve, telling us the uses of the plants, and showing us native customs along the way.
In order to prove themselves ready for marriage, young men have to find a huge, flat rock for grinding corn, and carry it to their new home.
We all got a chance to grind moist corn kernels on the grinding stone, and got to taste the results of our efforts (the stone is heavy!) after lunch, when we sipped a warm corn atol (corn made into a sweet, soupy porridge).