Aug 10, 2022 · Panama is a nation full of colorful imagery, from the aquamarine seas lapping at the country’s coastlines to the deep green canopy of rainforests shrouding its interior. But perhaps the most iconic...

Nov 14, 2024 · Common figures in mola art include turtles, birds, fish, and jaguars, animals that are vital to the Guna worldview and often appear in their folklore. Geometric designs in molas serve as a symbolic language, reflecting the interconnectedness of nature, humans, and …

Jan 2, 2012 · One of Panama’s best-known handicrafts is the mola, intricate reverse-applique handwork made by the Kuna, and now an important symbol of their culture. The layers of brightly-colored fabric form animals or geometric shapes, and are …

The Mola or Molas is a hand-made textile that forms part of the traditional women's clothing of the indigenous Guna people from Panama and Colombia. Their clothing includes a patterned wrapped skirt (saburet), a red and yellow headscarf (musue), arm and leg beads (wini), a gold nose ring (olasu) and earrings in addition to the mola blouse ...

A mola is an appliqued fabric panel created by Cuna women, an indigenous people from the San Blas Islands of Panama. The term “mola” refers to a traditional blouse made by women to serve as front and back panels of the blouses they wear everyday. Now molas are also sold to collectors and framed and exhibited.

Traditionally worn with a wrap-around skirt (sabured) and a red-and-yellow head scarf (muswe), molas are an important reflection of women´s skills and Kuna identity. Shown here is a sample of molas from the museum collections, including several "inside" views to illustrate technique. Images © UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Oct 21, 2024 · Each mola is a visual narrative, embodying stories, myths, and elements of the natural world. The motifs often represent animals, sea life, and abstract geometrical patterns, each with deep-rooted symbolism.

Sep 10, 2019 · The Mola Museum is a “virtual museum” dedicated to the art of the Kuna (Guna) Indians. The Kunas live on the San Blas Islands east of Panama, in the Darien region of Panama, and in Colombia. Kuna women make and wear blouses decorated with appliqued cloth, reverse appliqued cloth and embroidery.

Jan 29, 2021 · Students will explore the tradition of Molas, noting the use of contrasting colors, abstract patterns as well as noting the contrasting organic shapes of the main subject to the mostly geometric shapes of the background patterns.

The most celebrated modern Panamanian art form, the mola (meaning cloth) has been a marker of Kuna culture since the early 20th century. According to Kuna lore, sister and brother culture heroes Kikadiryai and Ibeorgun, gave humans the art of …