Some are inhabited by the Kuna Indians who live a traditional lifestyle of fishing and crafting.
The women dress very colorfully and make wonderful reverse appliqué designs called molas. We had a chance to visit these islands last December. It was my second time in more than four years, but it was still the same. Everyone on this small island turned out for the tourists. Rows and rows of beautiful molas were on display and the women shyly hid behind them. You could take photos, but you had to pay a dollar, plus a dollar for each person in the photo. I wanted to save my money to buy something, so I only took this one to show what it was like.
The links that I've included tell a little more of the story behind this place and the craft that has made it famous. I'm no expert, but I am a buyer. Here are four appliquéd birds with tiny, delicate chain-stitch details. They aren't technically molas because there's no reverse appliqué, but I still thought they were great.
No comments:
Post a Comment