The Kuna (or Guna) Indians are the indigenous people who live on small coral islands in the San Blas Archipelago along the Atlantic coast of Panama and Colombia. They were driven westward in the 16th century from their original home in Colombia by invading Spanish colonizers and similar migrations of other Indian tribes, notably the Wounaan and Embera. They first moved into the Darien Rainforest, then towards the coastal Mainland of Panama, and by the 19th century they had begun to move out to the islands where they now live in the semi-autonomous region called Yala Guna.
What is a Mola? Mola, which originally meant bird plumage, is the Kuna Indian word for clothing, specifically blouse, and the word mola has come to mean the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman's traditional blouse. The vibrant reds of the traditional mola have entranced fashion designers and are often found as bright accents in the home. Molas are collected as folk art: Kuna women have achieved a worldwide reputation for outstanding artistry.
How is a mola made? Reverse appliqué has been used to make a mola since Victorian times. A mola maker places two or three pieces of different colored cloth on top of each other and bastes them together. Then she cuts into the top layer, cutting out her design (she may have drawn her design first in pencil, but often she just follows the idea in her head.) Only the bottom layer remains intact to be the background color and support the stitching of the other pieces. She hems all the cut edges with very fine stitches, making sure that her thread exactly matches the color of the cloth. The color of each lower level creates the outline of the design. She may then add additional elements - decorative embroidery, positive appliqué, slits showing different colors from cloth that has been inserted between layers - to complete these intricate designs.
Exhibition: “Textile Art: Kuna Indian Molas from Panama” Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center, Phoenix, Arizona January to February 2013 curated by Dr. Margo Callaghan.
References:
Edith Crouch, The Mola: Traditional Kuna Textile Art. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2011.
Capt. Kit S. Kapp, Mola Art from the San Blas Islands. Cincinnati: Kit. S. Kapp Publications, 1972.
Michel Lecumberry, San Blas: Molas and Kuna Traditions. 2nd Revised Edition. Translated by Margo M. Callaghan. Panama: Txango Publications, 2006.
Michel Perrin. Magnificent Molas: The Art of the Kuna Indians. Paris: Flammarion, 1998.
Mari Lyn Salvador, The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning among the Kuna of Panama. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1997.