Aug 10, 2022 · But perhaps the most iconic example of its vibrancy is a traditional garment known as a mola. For centuries, the Guna (previously known as Kuna), an Indigenous group residing in Panama and...

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. 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 (dulemor). [ 1 ]

Nov 17, 2021 · Molas are hand-sewn cotton textiles traditionally fashioned into blouses and worn by Guna women. They often sport vibrant, geometric designs that range from abstract patterns to intricate...

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.

It's a hundred-years-old traditional handicraft, created, realized, and used as a part of the women's clothing by the Guna (Kuna), an indigenous people living in the Guna Yala (Kuna Yala), a comarca indígena (= autonomous province, governed by the indigenous people) in …

Feb 20, 2025 · Learn about Mola traditional art, a unique expression of Panama’s indigenous Guna people. Discover why Molas captivate visitors & collectors. Any visitor to Panama is likely to spot indigenous Guna women.

Nov 14, 2024 · Molas began as the decorative panels worn on traditional Guna blouses, crafted exclusively by Guna women. Originally, these textiles were not just about aesthetics but represented the community’s heritage, worldview, and spirituality.

Oct 8, 2020 · Over the last century, the mola has transcended its role as a garment to serve as a visual embodiment of the strength and survival of Guna identity and ethnicity.

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.

Molas are simple yoke-type blouses richly decorated by intricate needlework. Mola can mean the blouse that is daily wear for Guna (previously spelled Kuna or Cuna) women but most often refers to its front or back panel. They have been made for about a century.