The Panamanian San Blas Islands are the home to the Kuna (also spelled Cuna), a Chibcan-speaking Indian people. With regard to art, the Kuna are known for their molas: intricately embroidered textiles.
In all cultures, art does not exist in isolation but is integrated with other aspects of culture including language, social organization, and religion. In her chapter on the Kuna mola in Native American Expressive Culture, Mari Salvador writes:
“Art and artistry permeate and enrich all aspects of Kuna life, creating an overarching means of distinguishing individual achievement and the expressive spirit of the Kuna people.”
Mari Salvador also writes:
“Filled space, subtle asymmetry, embellishment, parallelism, and repetition with subtle variation are the basic standards for artistic criticism of mola design—standards that have also been documented for Kuna speech, chants, lullabies and flute music. These aesthetic principles appear to be consistent in all spheres of Kuna expressive culture.”
While people accustomed to Europe art styles tend to see the integration of religion and art as the use of art to portray religious symbols and to illustrate religious mythology, in Kuna culture art, or more importantly, the ability to create art, comes from religion. Mari Salvador writes:
“The ability to excel in artistic endeavors such as public speaking, dancing, healing, making molas, is attributed to having kurkin—intelligence, natural aptitude, ability, or talent. Kuna believe that kurkin is distributed in varying degrees to all people by Mu, the mythological grandmother.”
Thus, the mola designs are not religious symbols. It is not the art product that is integrated with religion but the process of creating it has religious origins.
While museums and private collections today display Kuna molas as a form of framed wall art, the mola was originally a women’s blouse. Mari Salvador writes:
“The Kuna peoples of Panama are best known for their molas, the colorful and richly decorated appliqué blouses made by Kuna women.”
Molas were made to be worn by their makers and used molas were occasionally sold to outsiders. The designs and styles of the molas came about historically through contact with Europeans, and, perhaps more importantly, with European cloth. Mari Salvador reports:
“Although the origins of Kuna dress and mola making have been integrated into Kuna mythology, mola making, is, in fact, a relatively recent process.”
In the 1960s, Kuna woman began making mola objects specifically for sale to tourists. Mari Salvador writes:
“Molas have become popular items for purchase among tourists, and are an increasingly important source of income.”
Shown below are some example of the “tourist” mola objects which are considered as works of art.
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon has a small collection of molas.
Private Collection
Shown below are some of the molas in a private collection.
Indians 101
More about American Indian art from Indians 101:
Indians 101: California and Great Basin Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Southwestern Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Plains Indian Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Eastern Woodlands Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Plateau Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Suquamish Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Inupiaq Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Some Inuit Art (Photo Diary)