Art by Lisa
San Blas , Panama
“Cuna Indian sewing a mola”The Cuna or Kuna are famous for their molas or colorful textile panels of finely-stitched appliqués each with a different design . Mola panels are used to make the blouses of the women's national dress and sold as souvenirs. Designs vary from birds, animals, or symbols depicting cultural or religious themes. Sewn by hand, the complicated stitching requires hours of hard work. They accessorize with bright headscarves, nose rings and strings of tiny beads that adorn the neck, forearm and ankle to mid-calf called a uini.
Indigenous Cuna Indians live in three regions which are made up of the San Blas islands and also the coastline of Panama from Colon to almost the Colombian border. A matriarchal society, the Cuna hold spiritual beliefs based on Mother Earth as the creator and provider of all things. The adult children and their families live with the wife's family. They have a simple economy based on agriculture, fishing and more recently, tourism. Their diet consists primarily of plantains, coconuts and fish.
