The Mola Art of Panama: Part 1

A GBD Microsite Mola Art of Panama

Introduction: I discovered the “mola” art of the Guna Indians of Panama (and Northern Columbia, South America) while searching for something else. I found their story fascinating and share it here now.

The mola or molas, forms part of the traditional outfit of a Guna* woman in Panama. Two mola panels belong together as front and back panels in a blouse. The full costume traditionally includes a patterned wrapped skirt (saburet), a red and yellow headscarf (musue), arm and leg beads (wini), a gold nose ring (olasu) and earrings in addition to the mola blouse (dulemor). In Dulegaya, the Kuna’s native language, “mola” means “shirt” or “clothing”. The mola originated with the tradition of Kuna women painting their bodies with geometric designs, using available natural colors; in later years these same designs were woven in cotton, and later still, sewn using cloth bought from the European settlers of Panamá. Below: a Guna woman wearing her mola. (Photo below: A Guna Indian woman wearing a mola.)
*Also known as Kuna or Cuna.

Mola Artwork Gallery No. 1

The Guna Language (Dulegaya): Counting in Kuna

Here are the English numbers 1 through ten and their Guna language pronunciation. Learn more about the Guna language here.

The Birds of Panama: The Northern Emerald Toucanet

The Northern Emerald-Toucanet is a small toucan found in the foothills forests of Central America from Mexico to far-eastern Panama. At only about a foot in length, it is our smallest toucan in Panama. Its bright green plumage gives this species its name, and this colorful plumage is characteristic of its genus. In Panama, the Northern Emerald-Toucanet has a blue or purplish throat, chestnut-colored undertail coverts and rufous tail tips. Its bill is black and yellow. Individuals found in western Chiriqui near the Costa Rican border have a red spot at the base of the bill, whereas eastern Panama birds lack the red spot. The Northern Emerald-Toucanet has up to 8 subspecies which show different throat colors (white or blue/purple) and differences in bill patterns, with differing extent of yellow on the upper mandible. Subspecies also differ mildly in size. Internet Resource

Images from Panama