Our Story

Kulebra Collective’s purpose is to uplift and celebrate the indigenous Ngäbe people of Costa Rica. We do this by bringing together talented Ngäbe artisans from the Conte Burica territory who are passionate about making clothing and accessories rooted in their culture and traditions.

Our Impact

The Problem

In Costa Rica poverty reaches 23% of households, but for the indigenous Ngäbe it’s much higher at 84%! Many of them live on reserves separated from the general population that are lacking in basic facilities.

Their traditional sources of income – agriculture and crafting – are seasonal and require the community to travel far distances. As a result, they often struggle to meet their basic needs of adequate food, shelter, healthcare, and education throughout the year.

Our Approach

Kulebra Collective is a social enterprise that tackles these challenges by bringing Ngäbe artisans together to tap into a larger and more stable marketplace for their goods year-round. We do this by empowering artisans to leverage technology, infrastructure, and key partnerships. Participating artisans earn reliable wages, which positively impact their children and communities.

“Kulebra empowers artisans to leverage technology, infrastructure, and key partnerships to earn reliable wages that positively impact their communities.”

–REBECCA ZELEDÓN FRIENDLY, FOUNDER

Featured Members

  • Kulebra Collective woman artisan

    Felicia

    Embroidery + Clothing Designer

  • Kulebra Collective hat maker

    Rita

    Bag + Doll Maker

  • Kulebra Collective founder

    Rebecca

    Founder + Advocate

The Ngäbe People

The Ngäbe people are also referred to as the Ngöbe or Guaymí, and live in modern-day Panama and Costa Rica. There are approximately 200,000 people between the two countries, but only about 3,000 of them live in Costa Rica. Many consider themselves to be people without borders.

They speak their own language called Ngäbere and many speak Spanish as well. Women play an important role in preserving and sharing traditional indigenous knowledge. They make traditional dresses called naguas, bags of woven plant fiber called chakras, dolls called chi, and more.  

There are 5 Ngäbe territories in Costa Rica. Kulebra artisans live in the most remote one, Conte Burica. They describe themselves as being dedicated to conserving their culture and as having a deep knowledge and respect for nature.  

“I learned to make naguas and chakras by observing my older sister. Then I started to develop my own vision and experiment with variations of the traditional designs.”

–FELICIA PALACIOS, ARTISAN