Selerino Cheucarama, Carver

Award-Winning Wounaan Carver | Darién, Panama

Selerino Cheucarama began carving as a child, mimicking the skilled hands of his father in the village of Aruza, deep in the Darién rainforest. At just six years old, he completed his first piece—hands intact—and never stopped. What began with soft local woods and tagua nut (known as “vegetable ivory”) soon became a lifelong pursuit rooted in precision, intuition, and deep respect for material.

Over the years, Selerino became known for his work in cocobolo, a dense, richly veined rosewood that has become synonymous with his name. Revered by collectors and galleries alike, his sculptures often emerge from a single found log or downed stump, never from live-cut trees. His process is as much a conversation with the wood as it is a carving technique—allowing the shape and grain to guide each figure into being.

Selerino’s creations range from fluid animal forms to his signature los guardienes—tall, stylized “guardians of the doorway,” deeply symbolic figures rooted in Wounaan spiritual tradition. He is credited as one of the first to carve tagua with fine artistic detail, and among the first to pursue carving full time as a professional path. His work has been exhibited around the world, from New York to Havana, Cuenca, and the Canary Islands, and several of his sculptures are held in the permanent collection of the Museo de la Naturaleza in Panama City.

Now, alongside his daughters and son, Selerino continues to carve and to teach. He is passing on his craft to a new generation of Wounaan artists—just as his father once did for him—with patience, clarity, and respect for both the wood and the culture it helps preserve.