Magnificent Molas—The Art of the Kuna Indians

This sumptuous new book reveals more than 300 fabric "paintings" made and worn by the women of the Kuna, a tribe of indians that live on the coral islands off Panama's Atlantic coast. Lively, varied, original and full of humor, Mola art has an astonishing relationship with tradition but in many ways looks contemporary and is prized by museums and private collectors throughout the world. The lavish images reveal the setting, lifestyle, gestures and beauty of the Kuna women practising their art. French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss has praised Michel Perrin's brilliant demonstration of the links between Mola textile art and Kuna ritual and body decoration. Perrin depicts the significant events that took place during his field research and shares with us his discussions with the Kuna women and their opinions about techniques and aesthetics. The book also includes excerpts from myths and traditional accounts about the rituals, animals, plants, and objects that have stimulated the imagination and inspired the Kuna women to create these magnificent design

Director of research at the CNRS (the National Center for Scientific Research), Michel Perrin is a member of the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Sociale at the Collège de France and has taught at the EHESS and the University of Paris. An American Indian specialist, Michel Perrin's research has focused on mythology, symbolism, traditional medecine and art.