Kuna Women and their Molas

My Aunt Alexa passed away October 14th and my parents traveled to Michigan to be with my Uncle Claude and his family during the funeral. While there my uncle gave my mother a fabulous collection of Molas made by the Kuna women of Panama. There is amazing artistry in the traditional mola. Mola designs are often inspired by modern graphics as well as themes from Kuna legends and culture. Geometric molas are the most traditional, having developed from ancient body painting designs. Molas begin as a blouse worn by the Kuna woman. Kuna women wear the blouses until they tire of them and then take them apart and sell them to collectors. I'll have the three molas on display next week that my mother donated to the art department for exhibit. Thank you Uncle Claude for sharing this wonderful collection with us!