What Are Tembleques?
80Tembleques?
What are tembleques? Tembleques are tremblers; shaky things that go in your hair.....and part of the National Dress of Panama, the Pollera. They can be made of glass beads, gold beads, silver beads, pearls, and FISH SCALES. Yes, fish scales. Have you ever come across some beautiful fish scales on the beach? They are usually irridescent, and will catch your eye on the sand among the broken shells on the beach. There are many here on the Panama City, Florida, beaches; you just have to realize they are not parts of shells but actual fish scales that have washed up on shore. They sure looked lovely on those shiny fish you caught on the fishing reel, and that you threw out while cleaning it, but when fish pass away naturally, they do wash up on shore. The ones I have seen here on the beach are greyish and irredescent. Now, why on earth would anyone want to use fish scales in their hair, and in a National Dress? Well, to understand it you would have to go back to when the Pollera (Panama's National Dress) was created. Back in the colonial days, women would fashion jewelry with anything they could find. Pearls, gold, beads, pretty irridescent fish scales....yep. They would take them and bleach them out, and then dye them in different colors to form the petals of a flower, for instance, or the wings of a butterfly. Flowers and butterflies made with these fish scales are very beautiful because the fish scales never lose their irridescence, and they are very sturdy. They are mounted on wire, and then wrapped onto hair clips or "peinettas," or combs, and then placed into the hair. The effect is very beautiful. Back in the colonial days, materials were more pure, and they were the real thing. Gold was the real thing, pearls and beads were the real thing, not plastic immitations like we have now-a-days (They didn't even know what plastic was). They wouldn't even dream of using an inferior metal! The Pollera dress, with all its gold embellishments (there are numerous necklaces and earrings that are part of the Pollera dress that I won't go into here because that would be a different hub), would be handed down through generations of women as part of the family wealth.
The whole purpose of the tembleques is for them to shake and irridesce on the head while the dancer is dancing the different typical dances in the Pollera costume; of course, ultimately, to look pretty and to attract the opposite sex. It really is a pretty sight to behold. But you'd have to take a trip to Panama, Central America to check them out, unless you live in the Ft. Walton Beach/Destin area (this area) or another area that could have a Latin Festival and Panamanian Pollera dancers. Yearly, there is a Latin Festival held in the large Destin Convention Center in the middle of Highway 98, and this year they had some Panamanian Dancers in all their garb (including the tembleques) dancing some dances and displaying what they had to display. I was there and I danced along with them. It was so much fun!
The Pollera Embellishments - Gold
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The dresses are not very heavy....although the jewelry is, especially if it is made of real gold. The tembleques are a bit heavy but it depends on what kind you are using. I have a pollera and I have tembleques made from fish scales and silver wire. They are not too heavy but for a person who is not used to wearing anything on their head, they do weigh a bit, and might be a bit distracting. Since my hair is not very thick I am always afraid of losing them...you know, having them falling out as you move your head.
How are tembleques made? I would love to make a simple one for my wedding in October and can't find instructions anywhere about them. How can I buy them also(just in case i guess)?
Tembleques are made with silver wire or golden wire (the real thing) and also with fish scales and silver beads or golden beads. They are attached to a hair pin for inserting into the hair (not a bobbie pin) and are made in identical pairs, so that there will be one for the right side of the head and an identical one for the left side of the head.
I need to find out where can I purchase the material to and pattern to make a pollera for my daughters wedding next year. I am panamanian and wanted her to have a traditional pollera for her reception..... please email instructions, thanks
Does any one know where I can buy or order a pollera?
if so please write and let me know. thanks
panamaprincesa11@yahoo.com
I do not know of any mail order place for Polleras. My best bet would be to take a trip to Panama and ask around. I think they still make them in the interior and that would be your best bet, price-wise. Mine came from Los Santos, but that was many years ago. The lady who made it is probably dead by now. The good ones are made by hand you know.
I learned how to make polleras from the book "La Pollera Panamena" written by Zarate. It's the only instructional source I know. You can try to get it online, or if you happen to be in Panama City, you can get it from "Biblioteca Cultural Panamana". Purely white polleras are easy to make with materials found in the US, and it takes like 1-2 weeks to make. However, if you want to make a colored fancy pollera, you must realize that it will take EXTENSIVE time and effort to make an "authentic" one. So I have resorted to hand-painting the "talco" (the apliqued handwork), and applying colored crochet thread to purchased white lace. (Put the crochet thread in the bobbin, and place plain white paper underneath for stability; tear-it away later.) The fine linen lace edging (valenciano), is just IMPOSIBLE to find in matching sets, so I use nylon lace 5-7" wide. (I cut 2 1/2" from the edge for the narrow lace to match.) I was thinking of writing a book on the subject of making your own sub-authentic polleras, one of these days.
That is a great idea, to make your own book about creating a Pollera! To me, it is the prettiest National dress in the world. If I were ever to be married again, I might get a white Pollera...It is a very involved undertaking, but if you like to sew, then the more power to you! I am all thumbs with a sewing machine.
I like very my your page, I'm a panamanian living in UKraine so far ago, I can't find something like this here. thank a lot!
Thank you! You should tell us about the Ukraine! It must be an interesting place to live!
I'm panamanian too. You have to ask somebody in Panama to get yo a pollera from Calidonia, they can get you a white pollera since they have it hanging on the wall. They have all kinds of tembleques, they are not expensive, at least not the ones on the narrow hallways. I'll try to make a video on how to make tembleques.
Excellent, Nanette, I would really appreciate a video to post here on how to make tembleques. They are so beautiful!
Just got back from Panama...great place......I live in the Bahamas......Met a young lady there "liriola".....promises to show me how to make a Tembleque.....I fell madly in love with them the first time I saw them..they are sold in their store in Panama city.....www.liriola15vi@hotmail.com
Beautiful hub, like all dresses and all that happines expressed on an dancer's smile.
I'm from Barranquilla Colombia, and i'm very used to Carnaval de Barranquilla.
If you need something from Panama about polleras only write to: dignabt@hotmmail.com
God Bless You!
Thank you so much for all the information about where one can get things related to Polleras!
Lisa Barger says:
2 years ago
Is that what those are called? I'm so ignorant when it comes to Latin cultures. :( Great article--aren't those dresses awfully heavy with all that ornamentation?