Kuna Yala (aka San Blas islands) November 9 to December 9, 2012
Molas are fabric panels of reverse appliqué. They are handmade by Kuna women in Panama. The Kuna woman use two mola panels as the basis for the blouses of their traditional dress.
This is a mola blouse. There is a similar mola panel at the back of the blouse. This is a traditional Kuna design, not related to the Nazi swastika.
Molas take weeks or months to make. While we were in Kuna Yala, we became quite fascinated by molas. There were many opportunities to buy them. Women came to On Delay in ulus (dug out canoes) or motor boats. In some of the villages, we were offered molas to buy. There was a mola-and-drinks hut on Dog island where tourists from the mainland visit. When we got to Panama City, we discovered molas for sale there. Prices ranged from $10 to $60 and quality varied similarly.
Sarah, Tony and I visited Isla Tigre, a traditional island that does not see many tourists. This is the only place that we were offered mola blouses for sale (and only mola blouses — we were not offered any standalone panels). I infer that we were offered blouses that women had made for themselves. When they saw us walking by, they saw the potential to make money: Women appeared at the doorways* of their houses holding up molas and calling politely to us.
[*Aside: I’m not sure that doorway is the right word. Their bamboo huts don’t have doors.]
Further evidence that these blouses in Isla Tigre were for local use: the patterns were geometric, not pictures of birds or flowers or mythology — which are more common in the standalone molas offered to visitors. The molas blouses are incongruous in that the stitching of the molas themselves is so neat and intricate but the stitching on the blouse is sloppy and childish, the parts are held together with basting stitches, the trim is gaudy commercial trim and the sleeves are curtainy floral material not in keeping with the mola panels. Sarah and I each bought a mola blouse in Isla Tigre. Mine is shown above, and look for a picture of Sarah modelling hers in the gallery below.
We (mostly Gayle :)) took pictures of the molas we bought. Here is our mola-mania gallery. I hope you enjoy it.
-
- This is a mola blouse. There is a similar mola panel at the back of the blouse.
-
- Kuna woman and Shannon on Dog Island. The Kuna woman is wearing very traditional dress: red headscarf, blouse with puffed sleeves and mola panels, print skirt, beads, and gold nose ring. Molas for sale hang behind her.
-
- A mola saleswoman visits On Delay. CJ, Jane and Gayle all make purchases. That’s her driver is in the Pepsi shirt.
-
- Left to right: CJ, Shannon, Gayle, and Lisa.
-
- Sarah models the mola she bought in Isla Tigre.
-
- The back panel is much like the front.
-
- Sometimes women sell used molas like this one. It shows some signs of wear but is a pretty and traditional design.
-
- This mola is by Lisa. It represents the traditional congress house where the tribe meets each evening.
-
- Kuna paddles stylized in a mola.
-
- This is the first mola that Jane and Tony bought. It shows a bird scaling a fish.
-
- This mola shows a medicine man.
-
- This is the pair of the previous mola. I can tell them apart because the ears of the medicine man are a different colour.
-
- This is a medicine man experiencing a vision.
-
- This depicts a Kuna legend of an octopus taking people to heaven.
-
- This one is called “Oh Deer”. For a girl’s coming of age party, her father needs to go to the mainland and kill a deer to feed the guests.
-
- This is one of the first molas purchased, by Hilary. Even though we weren’t good mola judges then, this is a good one. (The guide book is open at the Lemon Cayes, where the purchase was made. )
-
- This mola is interesting because its colours are atypical.
-
- Flowers are a popular theme.
-
- The other mola in the flower pair.
-
- Flowers and birds together.
-
- A simple two-layer mola, a bird.
-
- Another two-layer mola, again, a bird.
-
- A three layer mola with two birds.
-
- This mola is unusual because one of the layers is floral fabric ( the kind used for the sleeves and neckline of blouses).
-
- Turtle 1. Turtles are popular.
-
- Turtle 2.
-
- Turtle 3. CJ bought this one — the purple is very attractive.
-
- This is a very fine mola: four-layers and lots of detail.
-
- Horses.
-
- Bambi 1.
-
- Bambi 2.
-
- Another simple two-layer mola of some kind of animal.
-
- A simple but interesting two-layer mola of a shark.
-
- Mermaids are popular subjects for molas.
-
- This is a magnificent mola by Lisa, based on the food pyramid.
-
- Again by Lisa; this one is based on another food poster.
-
- Religious scenes are popular, but this is the only one purchased (by Shannon).
-
- This is an appliqué-style mola. Colourful and attractive but less traditional.
-
- Kuna women make a few things in the same style as molas — for example this little appliqué bag. But, mostly, they just make mola panels.
I forwarded this to my daughter, Amy, who volunteers with Ten Thousand Villages..They could be interested in some of the goods made by women..
Holy Mola-Palooza! I forgot how beautiful this “gallery” looked all together and wonder if the Kuna women miss all of our business 😉 Thanks for posting Jane.