Mola (art form)

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This mola, made in 2004 by master mola maker Venancio Restrepo, is a relatively modern style, based on the Kuna flag.

The mola is a traditional textile art form made by the Kuna people of Panama and Colombia. Molas are cloth panels, made to wear on clothing, and feature complex designs made with multiple layers of cloth in a reverse appliqué technique.

Molas are used to decorate the blouses of the Kuna women; although most mola makers are women, a few men take up the art, and some of these are very highly regarded. Molas are still made by Kuna women for their own use; however, sale of molas to tourists and craft centres is a major source of income for the Kuna people.

1 Description
2 Construction
3 Designs
4 Place in Kuna society
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Description

A Kuna woman displays a selection of molas for sale at her home in the San Blas Islands.

The mola forms part of the traditional costume of a Kuna woman, two mola panels being incorporated as front and back panels in a blouse. The full costume traditionally 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 (dulemor).^[1]

In Dulegaya, the Kuna's native language, "mola" means "shirt" or "clothing". The mola originated with the tradition of Kuna women painting their bodies with geometrical designs, using available natural colours; in later years these same designs were woven in cotton, and later still, sewn using cloth bought from the European settlers of Panamá.^[2]

[edit] Construction

Molas are hand made using a reverse appliqué technique. Several layers (usually two to seven) of different-coloured cloth (usually cotton) are sewn together; the design is then formed by cutting parts of each layer away. The edges of the layers are then sewn down; the finest molas have extremely fine stitching, made using tiny needles.

This closeup of a mola by Venancio Restrepo shows the layering of the different colours of cloth, and the fine stitching involved.

The largest pattern is typically cut from the top layer, and progressively smaller patterns from each subsequent layer, thus revealing the colours beneath in successive layers. This basic scheme can be varied by cutting through multiple layers at once, hence varying the sequence of colours; some molas also incorporate patches of contrasting colours, included in the design at certain points to introduce additional variations of colour.^[3]

Molas vary greatly in quality, and the pricing to buyers varies accordingly. A greater number of layers is generally a sign of higher quality; two-layer molas are common, but examples with four or more layers will demand a better price. The quality of stitching is also a factor, with the stitching on the best molas being close to invisible. Although some molas rely on embroidery to some degree to enhance the design, those which are made using only the pure reverse-appliqué technique (or nearly so) are considered better.

Molas will often be found for sale with signs of use, such as stitch marks around the edges; such imperfections indicate that the mola was made for use, and not simply for sale to tourists.^[1] A mola can take from two weeks to six months to make, depending on the complexity of the design.

This traditional mola represents the olasu, a nose ring worn by the Kuna.

[edit] Designs

Molas are made in a wealth of different designs. The most traditional mola patterns developed from the ancient body paint designs; these are characterised by geometric, abstract-seeming patterns, and the use of the traditional red, black and orange colours. These designs are often inspired by traditional themes from nature, or from Kuna legends and culture. Typical designs include such features as the shapes of animals or plants, mountains, rainbows, and olasus (the traditional Kuna nose ring); however, artists are often open-minded in their choice of subjects, making use of such modern features as political posters, labels, or pictures from books and magazines.^[3] The swastika, an ancient symbol of the Kuna people which was adopted into the Kuna Yala flag in 1925, is often worked into designs; however, it is often modified to remove associations with Nazism, as can be seen in the example at the top of the page.^[4]

This mola depicting a hibiscus flower features a less geometric design; this, and the use of blue, are typical of molas made for tourists.

More tourist-oriented molas make use of a wider range of colours, notably including blue (which is absent in traditional designs). These are often less abstract in design, featuring more direct representations of birds, flowers, etc.; many include features such as popular cartoon characters.^[1]

A traditional mola typically measures around 30-35 by 35-40 centimetres (12-14 by 14-16 in); smaller molas are often made for sale to tourists. Since every mola is handmade, and often freehand, no two are identical. However, molas are usually made in pairs, in order to make the back and front panels of a blouse; these paired panels generally share a common theme or style. When offered for sale, they can be purchased in pairs or singly.

[edit] Place in Kuna society

Molas occupy an important place in Kuna society as a key part of the women's costume; however, in recent years molas have also come to be an important source of income for the Kuna people, with sales to tourists bringing in valuable currency. Most women in Kuna Yala are mola artists, with the income they earn reinforcing their important position in Kuna society; however, a few men become mola makers, and some of these are very highly regarded for their work. An example by Venancio Restrepo is shown at the top of this article.

Molas are exported to Costa Rica and the United States of America, and Kuna artisans also travel to sell their work. Molas can be bought in Panama City, and at a Kuna cultural centre in Balboa. Molas are also sold — sometimes quite aggressively — to tourists visiting Kuna Yala. Many yachts visit the San Blas Islands in Kuna Yala, and are frequently visited by Kuna people, usually travelling in dug-out canoes, who sell molas to the boaters, as well as supplying local produce and seafood.^[5]