Cultural Journal Report
Mola History
by Renate Wetter
published 2009
Summary
This article is about the Mola, a traditional dress of the Kuna Indian's of Panama. The article was written a few years ago and tells about the many characteristics of the Mola, which are worn by women and are very colorful. It tells that Molas can range anywhere from ones machine crafted for everyday use, to handmade ones worn on special events, to the ones displayed in museums. It also talks about the origin of the Mola, which started back with body painting, and the traditions revolving around the Mola.
Thoughts
The Mola clothing is really pretty. I think the different styles of Mola's are interesting, how they first started as geometrical patterns but then transitioned into showing pictures of nature. I also think it would be cool to watch the process of reverse application in body painting, as was the origin of the Mola.
Tying Into Panama's Culture
The Mola is important to the Kuna women of Panama. There was an attempt to get rid of Kuna's traditions and cultural identity around the 1900s, by Panama's government. Later, there was a Kuna revolution and the government re-allowed the Kuna people to live the way as they did before. The cultural traditions of their people, including the Mola dress, is important to Panama's overall cultural and historical background.