Dover Design Library Mola is the Cuna Indian word for an intricate reverse-appliqu? needlework technique unique to this unusual, isolated tribe inhabiting the San Bias islands off the Atlantic coast of Panama. Mola motifs and methods recall the body-painting practiced by the Cuna in past centuries; today Cuna women"s blouses display the colorful patchwork designs rendered here in black and white from the original pieces. The 45 folk-style designs signify themes ancient and modern: pre-Christian crosses, mermaids, dancers, animals, birds, butterflies, fish and flowers, abstracts and repeating mazes.