| Hundreds of years ago the ancestors of the Cabecars were driven into the Costa Rican highlands by the explorers and left for dead. They survived. In modern times the Costa Rican government has provided a reservation for the Cabecars, however they have done little more to help them. The Cabecars live in a very remote area; there are no roads, no electricity, and no communications. The nearest town with medical care is 40 miles away and the road to the reservation is challenging, much of it is dirt and gravel mountain roads with frequent landslides and river crossings. The Cabecar Indians have an estimated population of 12,000 people. They have lived the same primitive life with little changes in their daily routine and activity for four hundred years. The Cabecars live in bamboo huts and sleep on the ground. They have a tribal chief who lives deep in the jungle. Apart from their family groups they had no real culture or social |
| interactions prior to Rev. Park’s mission. The Cabecars are hunter-gatherers, their main staple food is bananas. They marry young and have many healthy children but many of these children do not reach adulthood due to the dangers of living in the Chirripo Mountains and because of the absence of medical care. Many die of diseases that could be easily treated A recent dramatic example occurred two years ago when the flu spread through two of the villages. During this outbreak 12 children died of dehydration. All that was needed to prevent this tragedy was hydration packs and the knowledge to use them. The Cabecars report that the leading causes of death are drowning, snake bite, and infection. The average life span of the Cabecars is 45 years. |
