There are such gorgeous and tiny frogs in Costa Rica that the native people living in the forest among them use to call themselves ‘Bribri’, ‘happy people’. And such is the joy to share their environment with them, for their croaks and hops and crawls and climbs, as well as for their bright and vivid-coloured skins, the Bribri refers to frogs as ‘living jewels’. Italian pen-maker Delta is now tributing the Bribri people of Costa Rica and their communing with the ‘living jewels’ with a new limited-edition pen of their well-known Indigenous People series. You can now find shining Bribri pens at Giardino Italiano’s.
The ‘Happy People’ of Costa Rica
Bribri is an American aboriginal population of Costa Rica, living in the rural areas along the Cordillera de Talamanca. According to official estimates, there are about 11,500 Bribri living within the forests of Costa Rican Caribbean region: many years after the arrival of the Whites, in 1977 they were given the right to live on their native lands in reservations, where they could maintain their culture and language (the ‘Bribri’). Bribri people are socially organised in clans, formed by extended families according to the matrilineal system: children are named after their mother’s clan, and this is crucial for the importance of women in Bribri’s society. Indeed, only Bribri women can prepare their sacred drink, cacao (Theobroma cacao), which is essential for their rituals. Another reason to be ‘happy people’…
The living jewels
The Bribri happily live of agricolture (growing cocoa and bananas), farming, fishing and hunting in the forest – their peculiar specialty is iguana farming, from whom they get food and skins: they live in wooden huts with dried-foliage roofs, in total communion with nature, and they love their independence and solitude. Yet, they have very special company in their solitude, the constant presence of tiny little spirits hopping, swimming, crawling and climbing in their bright and coloured skins, singing and croaking in the tropical forest: Costa Rica hosts 193 different species of frogs and toads, placed into 14 families.
The Bribri are devoted to frogs and toads protection, aware that they are tiny and fragile creatures, so gorgeous in their coloured and shining liveries that they refer to them as ‘living jewels’. To them a sanctuary is dedicated, where visitors can see how cute these animals are and, as the Bribri say, “if people can love them, they can protect them more.”
Indigenous People Series
Delta celebrates the Bribri people adding a new pen to their Indigenous People collection, a series of limited-edition pens inspired by the forgotten minority communities in the world with their niche cultures and natural life-style: Series I was first produced in 2003 as a homage to the Maasai, Native Americans and Inuit.
Since then, ten series have been produced, in an ideal travel around the world, with series dedicated to:
the Tuareg, Maori and Cossacks (Series II, 2004),
the Ainu (Series III, 2005),
the Indios (Series IV, 2006),
the Sami (Series V, 2007),
the Adivasi (Series VI, 2008),
the Mapuche (Series VII, 2009-2010),
The Maya (Series VIII, 2010-2011),
and the Kanaka Maoli (Series IX, 2012).
All pens of the Indigenous People Series are hand-made, produced by Delta in cooperation with Milan’s renowned architect Francesco Rienzi.
Look at the whole list searching for “People” in the left-side menu, or clicking this link.
Bribri by Delta
Bribri by Delta is a special limited edition including only 977 fountain pens with rhodium plated metal trimmings and 977 fountain pens with 24-carat gold-plated metal trimmings. Both of them feature Delta’s piston filling system. Also available from this collection are 977 rollers and 977 ballpoints with twist mechanism. All fountain pens in this collection are fitted with Delta’s Fusion nib.
All Bribri pens are made from special resin turned by hand from solid bars. Among the special features of this pens is the cap, which is topped with a relief cabochon portraying an ancient breastplate medallion of pre-Colombian goldsmith art.
The cap is also enriched by a clip depicting a frog standing on a tree branch.
The pen’s body wears a central relief ring reproducing a typical Bribri tribal mask. All these parts are obtained from traditional metal fusion “lost wax” technique, an handcraft procedure consisting in manual polishing and then finishing the part with rhodium- or solid gold-plating.
Bribri Celebration
Celebration is a special edition of Bribri by Delta, produced as top of the range and limited to 77 fountain pens. This is a model in 18-k solid gold and a 0.03 carat diamond with brilliant cut placed in the top of the cap.
Bribri by Delta is a symbol of happiness and harmony in the respect of nature, the feminine part of creation, and diversity on the planet. A real sparkle of creativity and joy: you can have yours by Giardino.it.