Since our first cruising trip south on our sail boat La Buena Vida, we have been hearing about the Kunas Indians and their Molas. Every cruiser has been delighted by these colourful fabric works of art made by Kuna women. In November 2011, we finally had the opportunity to sail in Kuna Yala on board our friends Pam and Bill sailboat "Songbird". The weather was terrible with rain and wind for the 7 days we spent in the Kunas territory. However, one afternoon, the rain stopped and with the first rays of sun, came Kuna women on board their dugged out kanu to show us their molas. We had just arrived in Kuna Yala and felt a bit overwhelmed when one of them hopped on board and spread out an amazing number of molas, all beautiful. We bought some, of course. And we are so happy that we did...because the rain never stopped after that and we never saw another Kuna adventuring in the bay. It rained so much that week that traffic through the Panama Canal was stopped, road destroyed, and people died in land slides. We left Kuna Yala, sad not to have had more encounters with the Kunas and to have missed seeing more of their villages...but at least, we had some molas!
Back home, we were faced with the challenge to display those works of art. We learned that the number of fabric layers partly determined the value of the mola. It was also important not to cut them and try to fit them in a frame...and last, their vibrant colours had to be fully exposed.
My recent experimentation with acrylics and interest in mixed-media led me to build these montages! The frames are made of birch plywood. The molas are sewn onto painted foambord, which is then glue on plywood.
Depuis le temps que nous entendions parler des indiens Kunas et de leurs molas! Tous les plaisanciers qui s'aventuraient au-delà du Venezuela et longeaient les cotes de la Colombie et du Panama nous racontaient leurs rencontres avec ces Indiens et brandissaient fierement les innombrables molas achetées au Kuna Yala (nom donné au pays de Kunas). A l'automne de 2011, nous avions enfin la chance d'aller dans ce territoire sur le voilier de nos amis Pam et Bill qui y étaient depuis quelques mois. Ils connaissaient bien le territoire et nous promettaient une belle aventure. Malheureusement, ce fut la semaine la plus pluvieuse depuis 30 ans (on ferma le Canal de Panama et il y eu plusieurs vicitmes d'inondations et d'éboulements) et nous n'avons eu qu'une seule chance de faire l'acquisition de ces trésors. En effet, lors du premier jour de notre arrivée au Kuna Yala, il y eu une accalmie et le premier canot Kunas se pointa! Un groupe de 3 femmes et 2 enfants s'emmena et l'une d'elle monta à bord pour nous montrer les trésors!!! Notre connaissance des molas était nulle à ce moment mais nous nous sommes laissés charmer et guidés par nos amis, nous avons fait l'acquisition de quelques belles pièces!Je présente ici les montages que j'ai faits, prenant soin de bien montrer les couleurs et les épaisseurs de tissus de chaque mola.
