ABSTRACT
The resettlement of the affected population was carried out between 1973 and 1975. Each group reacted differently to the plans, but all were disturbed and ultimately hostile to the way they were implemented. A preliminary census of the region carried out by the resettlement team 1 indicated that the Kuna population numbered approximately 1,000-1,500 people, the Emberá population, 350-400, and die colonists, 2,000-2,500. The resettlement team made certain promises (or rather agreed to certain conditions) to minimize the impact of resettlement. These included allowing villages to participate as much as possible in making decisions about the new site, providing adequate health care, providing schools for the new communities and providing technical and material assistance in agriculture. Yet, the team had difficulty in meeting any of these obligations, and subsequently, the resettlement process was harder on people than originally intended.
