The word Mola receives several meanings, so it may be understood as: dress, clothes, a yard of material, a Knitted fabric or a female blouse made with the combination of material with showy and varied colors.

Several scholars of this culture indicate that the Molas appeared when the kunas migrated to the islands, in the middle of the XIX century: they is to say, when they came in contact with other people. According to the kuna elders, the Molas originated when, an ancient people with a tribal organization inhabited the banks of the Disuknu river, and the Divine Providence sent Ibeorgun, accompanied by his sister Olokikadiryai, to give instructions on the design and making of the Molas to the inhabitants of the Yco river.

With this story, the kunas confirm that the molas are an integral part of their cultural contribution, even though the raw material is western. But they are also convinced that the Molas did not appear by chance, but were a corporal geometric painting imitation of their ancestors.

The Molas are made with materials and threads of different colors, manufactured in Panamá and in Colombia, where the scissors and needles used for this task are also manufactured. The making of the Molas is an occupation exclusive of women ,performed by them since childhood and, when they become adults, are skillful in this task. Even though all of them are great seamstresses, not all of them achieve the necessary skill to design molas. That is to say, that there are very small groups of women devoted to design and instruct their sisters while the majority is in charge of sewing them.

The mola figures usually are anthropomorphous, zoomorphic or also inspired by foreign elements recently incorporated, such as aircrafts, flags, etc. The variety is so limitless as the indian women’s perception. The traditional geometric style of the Old molas are gradually disappearing, and are being replaced with new designs, for commercial purposes. The prices of the Molas vary according to the artistic quality, the size and orders.

For the teaching of this activity there is no formal institution. Each home continues it in its own way. The instructors are the grandmothers, mothers, aunts or some neighbor.

The marking of a single Mola may last from ten days to months, according to the dedication or the time required for the complex geometric sketch.

Women usually make the Molas during their leisure time, at several places: House of local Congress, where they meet with the Sahilas: at the beach, where they await their husbands that come from the field; when they await the arrival of relatives coming from the capital, and at those places where they usually hold the girl’s puberty rites

 

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