Browse Items (25 total)

Shellfish, fish, and turtles, as seen here, are mainstays of Guna diet and economy. The month of May is known as the "Moon of the Turtle" because that is when the giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs. This special time has been officially…

Multiple cats can be seen in this ingenious dulemola composition — two smaller ones in profile nestled within the overall orange outline of a larger third one in the center. In another reading, the larger cat could be seen frontally with its tail…

The fantastical multi-headed snakes take their place among the many subjects of Guna dulemolaguna that relate to Nature, but not in direct imitation. The undulating and interlocking lines of orange and red create a sense of snake bodies without…

This dulemola depicts six big and four little horses. Along the centerline are a flower (below) and a clover (above), plants that horses eat. Horses do love clover, though it is not native to the Guna’s tropical environment; however, neither are…

Dulemolaguna may include overtly political content as well as geometric and natural subject matter, as in the blouse with the Panamanian flag elements at right and the Panama Canal at left. Women have a strong voice in Guna chiefdoms, one reason they…

The dulemola at left celebrates the famed Panama Canal that joined Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, allowing ships and cargo to move much more efficiently around the planet. The canal actually rejoined the oceans that had long ago been one body of water,…

While Americans associate red, white, blue, and stars with the U.S. flag, these colors and symbols are also characteristic of the Panamanian flag. This is not a coincidence, since Panamá’s flag designer consciously honored the United States for…

The dulemola panel features two churches, a subject that is obviously not “traditional” since the Guna religion was and continues to be shamanic and nature-based. Yet, according to dulemola artists, equal-armed cross shapes stand for the top lashed…

This Guna blouse panel takes on a Christian subject: the Madonna and Child. She is identified by her cross necklace, which is embroidered like her intricate veil and the patterns on her clothes. The use of embroidery began in the late 20th and early…

Like other panels that take on “global” themes but give them definite Guna twists (see examples here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), especially related to Christianity, the very recent example at left juxtaposes tropical flowers and…