ABSTRACT
The actual construction of the dam was only one of a number of factors that worked to significantly alter economic patterns. As important as the dam itself were the influence of Bayano Corporation policies and actions and the extension of the road further east into the region. The Bayano Corporation not only determined policy for the region around the lake, but was itself actively engaged in a number of enterprises. The Kuna who occupied and used the most fertile river basin land, most keenly felt its loss. The Emberá on the other hand, actually gained access to more land after the relocation. The village of Ikanti, one of the five communities on the immediate lake shore, lost all its cultivations and subsequently resettled on higher ground further upstream on the Aguas Claras River. Ipeti presents a slightly different picture of adjustment to post-lake conditions.
