Threads of Time: Tradition and Change in Indigenous American Textiles
Dulemola (Blouse Panel) with Mother Bird Feeding Chick
Title
Dulemola (Blouse Panel) with Mother Bird Feeding Chick
Description
Guna aesthetic masterfully balances maze-like linear designs with figuration. The image of a mother feeding her baby bird is barely distinguishable from the spiraling black and red forms. However, larger areas of black for the birds' heads and the two bits of white for eyes help the viewer to comprehend the two animals. The left-hand one is smaller and its wings face downward, its feet to the right. Its beak is piercing the open triangular one of the large mother bird, who stands upright. Yet look away from the heads for a moment and you may lose the birds in the exciting tangle of lines and spirals. This is a deliberate technique, perceptually challenging and artistically sophisticated.
Geographic Area
Central America, Guna Yala (San Blas Islands/North Coast of Panamá)
Culture
Guna
Date
20th century
Materials
Cotton
Credit Line
Lent by Sherry Thorup
Accession Number
L2016.16.23
Photo Credit
Photo by Michael McKelvey, 2017