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Mola Imperialism
Randi Dorman
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The mola was an ancient symbol of the Kuna culture, a native tribe of Panama. The mola was worn as part of the blouse (front and back) over a skirt by the females. The Kuna people have documented their customs on the molas by weaving brightly colored geometric designs of ancient body painting, designs of animals and plants in their environment, and objects of daily life such as canoes and chic-ha pots. As the encroaching white culture became part of Panama, the Kuna retreated to 400 islands on the Atlantic oceanside of Panama to keep their traditional ways. The building of the Panama Canal disturbed food chains, habitats, and native people's way of life. Traveling by canoe, the men hunted and grew crops while the women became weaving artisans in simple thatched huts. In 1925 the government of Panama attempted to prevent the women from wearing the molas. The Kuna people rebelled and were granted autonomy by the government. On February 25 of each year, a celebration is held to honor this rebellion. The molas became expensive artwork and the sale of molas became a thriving cash-oriented business to ensure the traditional ways of the Kuna. Today hundreds of molas have been produced by the Kuna for tourism. Yet the molas with imperfections, such as fading and stitch marks on the edges, are valued greatly since the imperfections indicate that the molas are authentic and were worn by the Kuna women as part of the traditional dress.
Students will examine molas and produce a paper mola that represents the daily life of the Kuna culture.
Theodore Roosevelt, Letters and Speeches. New York: Library of America, 2004.
Access to internet (optional)
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/the_art_of_being_kuna/eng/toc/index.htm
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/mola_panama.htm
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/the_art_of_being_kuna/eng/make_mola/make_mola.htm
Chaves, E. and Angermuller, L. About Molas. Panama: Panama Canal Press, 1969.
drawing paper and colored pencils for students
brightly colored construction paper for students
scissors and glue
pictures of animals and plants of Panama
60 minutes
2Y3
How did Americans justify imperialism through the building of the Panama Canal?
Content Specific:
How did the Kuna (Panama) culture resist imperialism in order to keep their traditional culture?
Use a prepared overhead transparency or write on the board, a portion of the letter from President Theodore to his son, Kermit Roosevelt in 1906 that described the environment of Panama as he viewed it while touring the building of the Panama Canal.
"It is a real tropic forest, palms, and bananas, breadfruit trees, bamboos,
lofty ceibas, and gorgeous butterflies and brilliant colored birds
fluttering among the orchids. There are beautiful flowers, too. All my old
enthusiasm for natural history seemed to revive, and I would have given a
good deal to have stayed and tried to collect specimens. It would be a
good hunting country too; deer and now and then jaguars and tapir, and
great birds that they call wild turkeys; there are alligators in the rivers."
---Theodore Roosevelt, Letters and Speeches, p. 511. New York: Library of America, 2004.
On the desks, students should have paper and colored pencils. Students are to prepare a drawing of the Panamanian environment as described in Roosevelt's letter. Pictures of the plants and animals are optional but helpful. (www.wilikeepa.com)
After discussion of the students' drawings, remind the students that the Europeans and Americans found Panama as a tropical environment. The building of the Panama Canal disturbed food chains, habitats, and native people's way of life.
Present the question: How did the Americans justify building the Panama Canal that submerged more than 150 square miles of jungle? Allow the students to brainstorm how they would justify the project today.
Historically, the environmental issues were not a concern. The concept of progress overshadowed any thoughts of the environment. The dream of linking the oceans was the justification. Even Theodore Roosevelt's own vision of national parks in the United States did not stop his desire to make the United States a world power at the expense of a Panamanian jungle and culture.
Note to the students that in today's world, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace warn of freshwater shortages and deforestation in the region. Early in 2007, work has begun to expand the canal within seven years. Panama has a department of environment that has promoted conservation for twenty years. In order to recycle water, the new locks will use special basins. The locks of 1914 discharge 52 million gallons of fresh water into ocean each time one ship passes through the Panama Canal.
When the Europeans and Americans came, the Kuna people left the main region for nearby San Bias islands on the Atlantic Oceanside. The Kuna culture differed from English cultures. The Kuna established a matriarchal society with the women holding high status. Daughters are preferred to sons. The Kuna kept their culture as traditional as possible. Kuna language is spoken and seldom written. Spanish became a second language due to tourism. The women stayed on the islands while the men traveled by canoes to the mainland for trading or growing crops. For economical reasons, the native tribe had to adjust to some outside influence. The women became excellent artisans by weaving beautiful blouses called Molas. During ancient times, designs of the mola were painted on the bodies. The natives used the environment for inspiration. The themes of the Molas were animals, plants, and daily life. Some of the popular geometric designs were developed from ancient body painting designs. In sewing the natives used "blind stitches" to hide the sewing of the many layers of bright, colorful materials. Wearing molas became a symbol of Kuna ethnic pride of the traditional way of life. In 1925 the Kuna women were told to change from mola and nose rings to western dress. The Kuna culture rebelled against the government. Since the revolt, wearing the mola has become a symbol of the Kuna people's right to self-determination.
Within the notes section, there is reference to a Kuna legend that provided their culture's explanation of why the Panama Canal was built.
Examine examples of the Molas through the book, About Molas by E. Chaves and L. Angermuller (1969) from the Panama Canal Press or through websites such as the following:
This collection of Molas dates back to 1922. This website is a "must-see site" for students.
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/the_art_of_being_kuna/eng/toc/index.htm
Both of these websites present the Kuna women, young and old, in traditional dress.
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/mola_panama.htm
The following website from the Smithsonian Institute provides a demonstration of how to make a Mola electronically, so the students will be able to produce a paper Mola!
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/the_art_of_being_kuna/eng/make_mola/make_mola.htm
Each student or partners will produce an example of a Mola using at least four different colored construction paper and various scrap paper colors. Through examining photos of Molas, emphasis should be placed on the use of pattern, repetition, and balance or symmetry within the product. The student will select an animal or plant from the Panamanian environment.
1. Decide the dominant color of construction paper. Fold the paper in half.
Draw an outline of an animal or plant (over-sized) by allowing the shape to go to the
edge of the paper on the folded side only. Draw a few vertical oval shapes
as seen in traditional Kuna designs.
2. Use scissors to cut out all the shapes. Avoid cutting to the edges of the paper.
Bend the paper in order to cut small slit to get the scissors into the space on
the smaller shapes. This sheet is the negative-shaped paper (cutout has been removed) Save the positive shapes (removable cutouts) for decorating the mola.
3. Place the negative-shaped paper over another colored sheet. The four corners of
the two sheets match up completely. With a pencil, trace the shape of the animal or
plant onto the new colored sheet. Remove the top sheet. Redraw the outline of the
the shape but increase its size so that it will be bigger than the original
shape that you just traced. Cut out this design.
4. Do the same again with another contrasting sheet of colored paper. This is
a good time to glue the shapes together in layers that show the outline of each
colored sheet onto a background of color that is usually black. You might ask the
the student to paper clip first, so a check can be made before gluing. Keep the
outside edges aligned but showing colors.
5. Reviewing the internet websites will help students understand the patterns and
symmetry in a mola. Small scraps of different colored paper are glued to elaborate
the animal shape within its shape as well as its background. Still, there is a
definite pattern of the small scrap paper shapes and they are often layered with
different colored papers.
6. Red is the most common color used in molas. Black is often the background
layer. Contrasting color such as bright yellow or neon colors are exciting layers.
Students should relate to the colors of the environment especially with the animal
or plant shape. Color is very important to the Kuna culture as well as the design
that is inspired by the environment.
7. Alternative material that could be used is felt but more costly.
Sewing has become popular among young adults, so older students may want
to actual try the blind or hem stitching onto cloth.
While there are 400 islands, only 49 are inhabited today with the Kuna people. Western influence has taken many years to infiltrate the Kuna Culture. Unfortunately, the mola of today may depict TV cartoons, the Panama canal, and political posters due to modern tourism. The highly cash-oriented Kuna of today must continue to survive through tourism. Original molas with ancient or environmental designs are expensive and provide a greater cash-flow than the Kuna coconut industry to South American countries!
Dr. Mari Lyn Salvador of the San Diego Museum of Man in California has studied the Kuna Culture or over thirty years. Her research is focused on the molas. An exhibition has been created (The Art of Being Kuna) that helps to support Kuna efforts to preserve their culture as well as protect their political autonomy.
Direct the students to write a short synopsis of their mola including the reason for choice of colors, animal or plant design, and the significance of the mola. The significance of the mola should relate to the 1925 Revolt to wear the mola, the environment that was changed by building the Panama Canal or the Western influence on the designs of the Mola such as spaceships, basketball, or the Panama Canal. The synopsis is written on an index card and added to the mola for a wall display.
The inquiring question for the student to ponder is:
How does the mola represent resistance to imperialism?
The women refused to wear Western dress and continued to wear the mola in the Revolt of 1925. The government of Panama granted the culture its autonomy. In order to protect their political autonomy, the Kuna must be self-sufficient. The molas have become a source of cash for the culture.
Folklore Tale of Panama
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/CZAngelsSpace/Folklore.html
The Kuna Culture (the Hill people) have a legend that explains why the Panama Canal was built.
The mighty Chagres (river of the Panama Canal) angered Paquo Meecho (Commander of all the leafy legions) by refusing to bow down to Paquo Meecho. Encouraged by Chagres, grasses, moss, and trees decided to disobey the jungle laws of Paquo Meecho. Paquo Meecho commanded the races of men to make the waters of Chagres to be calm and serve the ships of man from ocean to ocean! The environment of grasses, water, and trees were covered by the depth of the waters, so they could not hear encouragement to disobey.
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