Panama
Maquina Island, San Blas, Panama, 2001
En la Comarca de San Blas
From the first minutes I set foot on Isla Maquina in Panama’s San Blas archipelago, the island and the indigenous Kuna women made a lasting impression. The aerial views of their as yet unspoiled environment, the vibrant colors of the women’s traditional dress and beadwork, and the longstanding matriarchal system under which the communities continue to live and thrive intrigued me.
Word spread that visitors had arrived and kids and women came down the paths of this tiny island, wanting to see who we were. Some were waving molas, a beautiful multilayered appliqué and well-known export of the region.
We attempted conversation about our physical appearances, and, finally, were aided by some of the Kuna children who had learned Spanish in school. The small gold nose ring I’ve worn since Peace Corps training in Fiji didn’t pass muster. Compared to the quarter-inch thick gold rings wedged through these women’s septums, mine, apparently, was too small and incorrectly placed!
Now it was our turn to inquire about their beaded arm and leg bands. The kids had tired of translating, so we pointed and gestured. They eventually understood and led us down a path to a woman’s house. There we were the center of attention as two women wrapped our legs with similar designs. The dark space was filled with giggles and Kuna banter reminiscent of a sewing circle.
The next day someone accompanied me around the island, explaining that I wanted to take pictures of individual people. I caught Verónica Martínez sewing this mola in the hammock outside her house.
