Transcript So you want to wear a MOLA? - University Center Rochester

Don’t leave home without your MOLA!
Flag of Panama
Who wears a MOLA?
What is a MOLA?
Who wears a MOLA?
• The paradise islands of the Kuna Yala archipelago
(also known as San Blas) in the Caribbean coast of
the Republic of Panama are home of one of the most
interesting indigenous groups of Panama, the
KUNAS (Cuñas).
Who wears a MOLA?
• The Kuna (Cuña)
culture is known
around the world by
their visually
striking MOLA
panels. By the way,
In the Cuña society
all decisions are
made by women.
• The traditional
costume of a Cuña
woman consists of a
patterned blue cotton
wrapped skirt, red and
yellow headscarf, arm
and leg beads, gold
nose rings and
earrings and the many
layered and finely
sewn mola panel
blouse.
Cuña woman of Panama
What is a MOLA?
• MOLA, in Cuña language, is the blouse of
the Cuña women’s traditional dress, and is
decorated with two very complex
handcrafted panels (front & back). These
panels are created with a technique called
"reverse appliqué", like a colorful collage of
textiles with designs from ancestral body
painting, like the ones still practiced
today by neighboring groups.
Men and molas
• There are men who
sew molas too. There
is a high rate of
albinism (lack of
pigment) among the
men of the Cuña
society who must
therefore stay inside
and out of the sun . . .
so they help sew the
molas.
The quality of a Mola is determined by
such factors as:
number of layers
fineness of stitching
evenness and width of cutouts
addition of details such as zigzag
borders, lattice-work, or embroidery
general artistic merit of the design
and color combination
Mola designs . . . .
•
• Animal pattern –
fish
Mola designs . . . .
•
• Insect butterfly
Mola designs . . . .
•
• Iguana
Mola designs . . . .
•
• Feline deity
Mola designs . . . .
•
• Bird - parrot
What is a TOUCAN?
The most obvious characteristic of the toucan is the huge yellow, orange, red,
green and black bill. The toucan's bill allows the bird to feed on a variety of
tropical forest fruits. The toucans are a very social bird and can often be seen in
flocks of six or more birds. They are
found throughout forests and nest in
holes in tree trunks.They lay one to four
eggs and the parent birds take turns
incubating the eggs. This bird displays
a rapid, heavy flapping of the wings when
flying and calls with a creek creek sound,
similar to a frog. Toucans are primarily fruit
eaters, feeding on a wide variety of tropical
fruits of the forest. It feeds by snipping off
the fruit and flipping its head back to gulp
the fruit. Toucans will also feed on insects,
lizards, snakes and even the eggs of
smaller birds. SIZE: 20 inches
RANGE: Southern Mexico to Northern Colombia HABITAT: lowland forests
and forest borders
What does a toucan look like?
El TUCÁN
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Beak/bill
Eye
Feather
Wing
Foot
Body
Head
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El pico
El ojo
La pluma
El ala
La pata
El cuerpo
La cabeza
Los colores
¿De qué colores es el tucán?
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Blanco
Rojo
Verde
Azul
Amarillo
Anaranjado
Negro
Color café
Un tucán de muchos colores
• El pico es:
– rojo
– amarillo
– verde
– anaranjado
– azul
– negro
¡Gracias! !Hasta la vista!