Vtg 1970’s Wooden Kuna Doll San Blas Islands Panama Handcrafted Hand Stitched Mola Clothing 4 Strands Of Beads Traditional Tribal Folk Art
This wonderful doll is from our 1971 trip on the M.S. Renaissance Cruise Ship. One of our ports was San Blas as seen in the photo of our itinerary. We have several Molas listed in our Etsy Shop from this trip.
Our Nuchus is 13 3/4" tall.
Handcrafted, it is clothed in the traditional Mola style of the Kuna people. and 4 necklaces featuring green and orange tiny seed beads.
All the clothing is hand stitched in blue and orange fabric.
This doll is in excellent condition.
Carved from balsa wood; it is very lightweight at just 5.3 oz.
The Kuna people live predominantly on the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama. The Kuna believe that sickness and disease are caused by malevolent spirits, called Poni, that enter a person's body and capture their soul. These wooden healing dolls, known as Nuchus, play an important role in healing the sick and warding off Poni.
Typically, Nuchus are carved out of balsa wood. The detail in each is determined by the carver, and any imperfections in the dolls themselves are included at the time of carving. Most display similar characteristics though, including distinctive facial features such as a large, straight nose and no mouth. .
A fascinating and unique piece of traditional tribal folk art.
Please see the photos to complete the description.
