Mickeila Teucama, Wounaan Weaver

Maje Village, Darién, Panama

Born in 1992 in the remote village of Maje, deep in Panama’s Darién rainforest, Mickeila Teucama is a second-generation Wounaan basket weaver. She learned her craft from her mother, who passed down not just technique, but a love for the patterns and process that define Wounaan coiled basketry.

Mickeila began weaving at age 17 and now balances her days between her art and raising her four children—a role deeply valued in Wounaan culture. She prefers geometric designs and often works up to six hours a day, weaving while her children are at school and her husband is working.

All of Mickeila’s materials are harvested, stripped, and dyed by hand. While some weavers trade for prepared palm or pigment, she chooses to complete each step herself—from gathering Chunga and Naguala palms to producing natural dyes from roots and leaves.

Though some Wounaan families move closer to the city for education or work, Mickeila prefers village life, surrounded by her seven siblings, her extended family, and the forest that has shaped her craft. Her baskets carry both tradition and independence—woven patiently, stitch by stitch, under the canopy of the rainforest.