MOLAS

Molas are the brightly colored applique panels made only in the San Blas region of Panama by the Kuna Indians. The Kunas have resided in the Panama/Colombia area for centuries. They managed to survive successive waves of European exploration and settlement. During the 1800s, the Indians began migrating eastward. The commercial activity of this introduced them to cloth, scissors, needles, and thread, thereby beginning the body adornment and clothing that was needle worked. The Kuna Indian women's traditional costume is colorful and the wearer expresses pride in her Kuna identity.

The term Mola can mean "cloth," "clothing," or "blouse." Girls learn to make Molas at a young age. A woman might spend up to 100 hours completing a Mola. The source for traditional design inspiration for Molas include the following: natural-world native animals (iguanas, lizards, parrots, fish), local vegetation (palm trees, coconut crops, sea grasses), and the shapes of the coral reefs around the San Blas islands.

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