Molas And More...

A Kuna Mola Panel


Kuna women in everyday dress

Molas may be simple or intricate and multicoloured

The Kuna are one of several indigenous groups found in the Central American nation of Panama. They live off the coast on a series of islands known to outsiders as the San Blas. The Kuna themselves refer to their home and its comarcas as Kuna Yala. Part of an archipelago of 365 islands along Panama's coast, approximately 36 of these are inhabited by the Kuna, with another 13 Kuna communities found on the mainland coast. The total land area of Kuna Yala is 924 miles and the population about 70,000 as of 2006.

Kuna Yala also contains a biosphere known as the PEMANSKY preserve. Autonomous, the Kuna have their own General Congress, and three votes in Panama's National Assembly. For all of its beauty, Kuna Yala and its inhabitants must contend with continued de-forestation and slash and burn methods by ranchers and farmers who encroach on Kuna preserves.

Molas, such as those pictured here, lie at the heart of the tourist trade for the Kuna, as do some lodges available for travelers. A women's collective makes and sells molas, which are sold as panels, blouses, small coin purses or other things. Some of my collection is shown in this post.

Below are some interesting links you might want to check out:

Travelblog.org:

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/11815.html and

Nativeplanet.org:

http://www.mpimages.org/travel_print_gallery/cutural_photography/travel_panama_photos.shtml.

A page from a website I created for a class in 2006:

http://myweb.usf.edu/~eacarter/LIS5315/montage.htm/. The copyright is mine.

You can visit the homepage and access all the links to remaining pages here: http://myweb.usf.edu/~eacarter/LIS5315/KunaHome.htm.

These pages were still actively linked when I checked earlier today.

Until Next Time...