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Mola. Cuna Life, Stories and Art. REVIEWS
From Booklist
Gr. 5^-7. Presilla, who visited with and interviewed people of the San Blas Islands off the northern coast of Panama, offers an intriguing picture of the lives of the Cuna Indians through their unique folk art. She describes how the Indians came to inhabit the islands, how they govern themselves, and what daily life is like for both women and men. The women are noted for the colorful blouses, called molas, that they stitch and wear, though outside the islands the molas are considered works of art and are framed or made into pillows or other decorative items. The method used in creating molas is a reverse applique, in which several rectangular pieces of fabric of different colors are sewn together, and then the layers are slit and stitched to allow the different colors to show through in the finished design. Mola design has traditionally represented such things as Cuna legends, customs, and daily life as well as nature, historical events, and, today, even Mickey Mouse. What makes this book so special is that Presilla's simple narrative is illustrated on every page by full-color photos of actual molas that depict what is going on in the text. The molas pictured include both the older, completely hand-sewn variety and the modern, partly machine-stitched ones. An unusual and effective look at a culture probably unfamiliar to American children. Sally Estes
From Kirkus Reviews
In the San Blas Islands off the northern coast of Panama, Cuna women make a unique and beautiful form of art called molas, in which layers of fabric of various textures are sewn together, then snipped and stitched into pictures comprised of bold forms and bright colors. They wear these on special occasions. Presilla (with Gloria Soto, Life Around the Lake, p. 452, etc.) tells the history of the Cuna, and in the molas they have created, vibrantly presents their entire culture, from lullabies to cooking to cosmology. Historical and cultural materials quoted in the text will expand readers' understanding, but the real glory of the book is the full- color parade of pictures of the molas. An accomplished, unusual look at a little-known culture. (Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Presilla, who visited with and interviewed people of the San Blas Islands off the northern coast of Panama, offers an intriguing picture of the lives of the Cuna Indians through their unique folk art....An unusual and effective look at a culture probably unfamiliar to American children."--Booklist
Review
"Presilla, who visited with and interviewed people of the San Blas Islands off the northern coast of Panama, offers an intriguing picture of the lives of the Cuna Indians through their unique folk art....An unusual and effective look at a culture probably unfamiliar to American children."--Booklist
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