 ©
Kuna Indians, "The Blue Butterfly"; 15 3/4 x 20 inches,
cloth applique
KUNA
MOLAS: TEXTILE ART
OF PANAMA’S KUNA INDIANS
Molas
are a type of quilted decoration used by the Kuna Indian women to
adorn their blouses. Since the 17th Century, the Kuna
Indians have inhabited 40 of the approximately 360 San Blas
Islands, which extend along the Atlantic coastline of Panama. Over
the last 400 years, many attempts have been made to conquer and
strip away their heritage. The Kuna have resisted, and to this
day, both retain and express the beauty of their ancestry in the
Molas in this exhibition.
Through
carbon dating, Molas found in Asia have been dated to 3,000 B.C.
Although this may give the impression that the Kuna culture could
have evolved there, evidence of this is sparse. Mola designs range
from celebrations of current events, to religious and mythological
themes, to abstractions that may have no symbolic purpose to the
Kunas. The vibrantly colored Molas are the pride and glory of the
Kuna women. Taking up to six weeks per panel, Kuna women create
two Molas for a blouse by using a multi-plique process. This
multi-plique process is a mixture of both applique and reverse
applique, though it is only one of several processes used in
creating Molas.
The exhibition is sponsored
in part by the
Montana Art Gallery Directors
Association.
|
Showing at the Copper Village Art Museum in Anaconda,
Montana, January 1 through March 1, 2001 |
