You will immerse yourself in our culture, feel the forest and our rivers, and connect with yourself, with us, and with the life of the forest. You’ll find yourself integrated into nature, which is where life arises. You will discover that time is relative. We will share the same table, enjoying nutritious dishes made with vegetables that grow only in our ecosystem. We will talk about our worldview and Iriria, Mother Earth. You will learn about waterfalls and details of our houses, which are true ecosystems within the forest. You will learn about our link with cacao and chocolate, and about our biological ancestral agriculture that sustains us, regenerates the forest, and feeds the world.
We began our project in the 1980s. Yorkín’s economic situation was difficult. Many men went to work in the banana plantations because cacao, the traditional source of income, had been affected by a fungus throughout the country. This caused the Bribri language and our culture to fall into disuse.
Faced with the crisis, three women from the community organized themselves to look for new sources of income. So it was that on July 5th, 1992, we founded the Stirawpa Association. We started making crafts to sell in Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. This business was complicated for the three women, due to the distance and cost of transporation—so they decided to bring visitors to Yorkín, to share their culture and sell their crafts. Over time, with a lot of effort and help from NGOs, we managed to establish ourselves as an important arm for the sustainable development of Yorkín.
In 2008, a flood destroyed almost all of the Stibrawpa facilities. We used our contacts to organize donations that helped rebuild our buildings and other important community facilities such as a medical station and the aqueduct.
After more than 30 years, we have 55 member families. Each family owns a patch of rainforest that they enjoy sharing with visitors. The partners and their families benefit from this employment, and the community’s economic situation has improved a lot. Stibrawpa generates indirect economic benefits for the entire Yorkin community, which reaches an average of 250 inhabitants.
Stibrawpa offers experiential tourism for the promotion of our Bribri culture, the diversification of our income, and the sustainability of forest life. With your visit, you contribute to the promotion of our culture and livelihoods, and thus to the sustainability of life in the forest and life on the planet.
