Molas: Perennially Interesting
Unknown artist of the Kuna people who live on archipelagos off the coast of Panama. This mola features pelicans, dates to the mid-20th century, and is 100% cotton. The Alice Cox Collection of molas was given by her daughter, Mrs. Barbara Vallarion to Dartmouth’s Hood Museum of Art.
Accession #177.9.24726. Photo courtesy of Hood Museum of Art
This colorful mola blouse hails from the same donor. Again, it was constructed by an unknown artist, mid-20th century, with cotton cloth and thread. Accession #177.25.25739
Many thanks to Sharon Reed, publicist, for the images.
Important to note is that the Kuna Indians make blouses to wear. Each blouse had a decorative panel on both front and back. When the blouses have served their first intended purpose, they are disassembled and sold to tourists who flock to the islands via boats.
As was noted just recently in this column, mola “cheater cloth,” that resembles the look you see above, is now being sold in the country of mainland Panama.
Molas are a source of revenue for the women of Panama, as well as some albinos who comprise a larger than usual segment of the population, statistically-speaking. Albinos cannot withstand being in the sun and mola-making allows them to work indoors. One book reports that homosexual men also make molas there. For more information, please read my article on molas on my website. To find it easily, along with other entries on the topic, just key in “molas” on the search word function on the front page of Quilter’s Muse Publications.
Please see the previous announcement about the new exhibit of molas at the Hood Museum, on this blog. The installation will be in place until December 7, 2008.
Patricia Cummings
