Author: tom

The Guna (or Kuna or Cuna) people believe that all illness results from spiritual imbalance. So when someone becomes ill, the healer (Inatuledi) summons healing spirits that are stored within carved wooden figures called nuchugana (plural of nuchu). All Guna households have nuchu figures, and Inatuledi normally have a large assortment. Pre-1960 nuchugana are quite rare. This seated example shows strong sculptural qualities. It was collected by Kit Kapp in the 1960s.

Most people are familiar with pictorial molas. But older, traditional molas often feature abstract designs – or highly stylized renderings of beings or objects. This small mola, from the blouse of a young girl, features an abstracted image of a turtle. One mola collector we know has a saying, “If you can’t decipher the image on a mola, look for a turtle!” This example was collected by Bob and Marianne Huber, some time between 1968 and 1972.