Hand Stitched Panama Mola Snout Textile

Hand stitched Mola made by the Guna formerly known as Kuna artisans from Panama. Fair Trade, Latin American textile art

HAND STITCHED BY INDIGENOUS ARTISANS: TraderBrock’s Molas are handsewn by indigenous Guna formerly known as Kuna artisans in Panama. We offer a wide range of sizes and designs. Because of its unique handcrafted nature, no two pieces of our fair-trade Mola are the same.

WHAT IS A MOLA? The Mola is a hand-made textile that forms part of the traditional women's clothing of the indigenous Guna people from Panamá, Columbia, Central America, and South America. Molas have many uses. They can be framed as art for wall hangings, made into pillows, bedspreads, place mats, or used as fabric for quilting projects

TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN: Molas are hand-made using a reverse appliqué technique using several layers of different colored cloth. The largest pattern is typically cut from the top layer and smaller patterns from each underlying layer. Geometric molas are the most traditional. Originating from ancient body paintings. Designs usually portray wildlife in the Rainforest. Inspiration comes from the nature and beauty that surrounds them.

EMPOWERING NATIVE ARTISANS: Since 1991, TraderBrock has been providing Panamanian Embera, Guna, Wounaan, and Ngäbe, artisans with a global market for their handmade products. For the past twenty years, all sales revenues have been reinvested into the artisan community of Panama. This includes education, medical care, land purchase, tools, and other needs.

• Dimensions:
• Traditional indigenous designs
• Fair Trade & Hand Stitched
• SKU: 21082639E
• Hand Sewn Panama Kuna Mola Snout

Handcrafted by indigenous Wounaan artisans
Throughout Panama, Ecuador, and other areas of the world native artists create beautiful works of art from the tagua nut. The tagua palm is known for producing its renewable nut and it is known as vegetable ivory. The nuts, when dried are carved into beautiful ivory-like sculptures. The durability of the tagua and its similarity to animal ivory has been known for a long time. The local artists sometimes leave them in their natural off-white color and sometimes paint them with fine inks or natural dyes. Regardless, they are always beautiful.

The Wounaan people are master artisans from the Darien-Choco region of Panama. The Wounaan artisans carve the tagua with hand tools and polish the tagua with a series of fine abrasives bringing them to a beautiful shine.

MACHINE WASHABLE To clean, machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle tumble dry on low, do not bleach or iron