Elvia loved walking out the door each morning and seeing everyone dressed in beautiful works of art. She knew that women in her community had made all the wonderful clothing. But Elvia had not always had this sense of pride. In fact, she used to not notice or care at all. She never stopped to think about what was special about her community.
Elvia was part of the native
Kuna (koo-nah) community in the Central American country of Panama. In the Kuna community, women for many generations have sewn amazing clothing. They create beautiful designs from pieces of colored cloth. The clothing is called
molas [moh-lahs].
As a young child, Elvia did not think much about the fact that her mother, aunt, and grandmother were always sewing. It just seemed like a way of life. Certainly, Elvia had no idea then how hard it is to make molas. Have you ever seen a patch sewn onto a pair of pants or a jacket? Just one piece is stitched to the material. Well, Kuna women make molas by first taking many layers of cloth and stitching them on top of each other. Then they carefully cut away areas of the cloth and sew the edges of the shape so that the color underneath shows through.
Like most Kuna girls, Elvia first started using needles and thread at three or four years old. She played house, pretending to do the same work as the older women. But Elvia soon realized sewing really was not play. She had to learn to be careful not to stick herself with the sharp needle.
By age five, Elvia became interested in actually helping the women with their work. She wanted to be part of this group that laughed and talked as they sewed together. Elvia's mother said if she really wanted to help, Elvia could cut the pieces of fabric for the older women to use in their molas. Elvia discovered that this was quite difficult. Some of the cloth pieces had to be very small. But Elvia liked the way the beautifully colored cloth felt in her hands.
Eventually, Elvia was able to sew and cut well enough that her mother allowed her to try making her first mola. It was a simple design, but it took many, many hours of work. Elvia could not imagine creating the more complicated designs that identified an expert sewer. Elvia's aunt told her that she would be able to do it if she practiced for many years. Elvia promised herself she would be able to do it.
As Elvia learned to make molas, she saw that the women used images of the plants, birds, and fish that surrounded them in their tropical area. The trees on land and clear, blue water are filled with all sorts of animals. These all appeared in molas throughout the community.
Women also described scenes from their lives-weddings, special feasts, or people playing sports. When Elvia saw pictures of news events from far away appear in molas, she knew that the women had seen the pictures in the newspapers, magazines, and goods from stores that the men in the village brought back from the cities.
Elvia began to comprehend that any image that interests an artist might end up in her work. Her mother said that this was true. It did not matter where the design first came from, as long as it made an interesting and beautiful mola pattern. Elvia's grandmother reminded her that women know they have sewn a good design when other people copy their molas.
Elvia finally realized that the women's molas help the Kuna people keep a special sense of their culture and history alive. Molas make an important connection between past and present. Elvia was glad that she would have the chance to be a part of this tradition of making everyday objects into art. She already had an idea for a very complicated design. Now she had to keep practicing!
- What is the article mostly about?
A why Kuna people wear such beautiful clothing
B a Kuna girl learning about her culture
C why history is important in art
D what kind of art is popular among Kuna women
- Why is "A Kuna Tradition" a good title for the article?
A only women make molas
B molas are an important part of Kuna culture
C clothing is important to people in Panama
D women use molas to tell stories
- What would be another good title for this passage?
A "Art and Clothing"
B "Sewing Kuna History"
C "A Tropical Place to Live"
D "The History of the Kuna People"
- The first way that Elvia helped the older women sewers was to
A thread their needles
B bring in samples of plants for women to copy
C think of designs for women to sew
D cut fabric for them to use in their molas
- In the story, "Elvia began to comprehend that really any image that interests an artist
might end up in her work."
Comprehend means:
A admire
B remember
C understand
D wish
- Which word would best fit in Box 1?
A gardeners
B storytellers
C grandmothers
D teachers
