Marlis makes several trips each year to visit the Kuna Indians in Panama to handpick the molas she will sell in her store on Bonaire.

The origins of these people have been obscured and lost in antiquity. They now live on a chain of 365 islands, only a few miles away from the Darien Jungle, located between Panama and Columbia. Some of these islands are large enough to accommodate a small village. Records indicate that the Kuna fled to the mountains of the Darien region to escape the Conquistadors during the 1500s. After the Spanish empire left the region, the Kuna returned to their islands.

Today, they are the last self-administered nation of Indians in the Western Hemisphere. Although technically a part of Panama, they do not pay taxes, nor do they tolerate interference from the government of Panama.

The Kuna Indians have a closed society; each village has its own rules. Spending a night on any of the islands is still forbidden without the permission of the responsible island chief, called a Sahila.

Each person living in the village has his or her own duties. The men will go fishing or do fieldwork on the mainland. They also bring water from the rivers to the village. The Kuna women are responsible for the family life.

A Kuna woman is only permitted to work on her molas after all her duties have been completed. The development of the mola (blouse) originates from early body painting. A quality mola leaves one unaware of the needlework. The thread exactly matches the fabric, and different layers of cotton are used in each mola.

Each mola is individually created of subjects of the artists' choice, and therefore each mola is unique!

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