PANAMA.— The use of a handmade textile design known as “mola” in a new model of shoes to honor Puerto Rico by the well-known sports brand Nike, has seen the company come up against Panama’s indigenous Guna people.
In a statement, the executive board of the Guna General Congress expressed its “rejection of this act of piracy against the traditional knowledge of the indigenous Guna peoples in Panama and Colombia,” whose authorities were not informed of this use of the mola design.
Mola is handmade embroidery using very fine threads and stitches, whereby layers of colorful fabrics are sewn over each other to form geometric designs and animal shapes, used to make dresses, bags and all kinds of garments.
According to its press releases, the Nike Air Force 1 Puerto Rico model was inspired by the Coquí frog, a native species of the Caribbean island, and its entry into the market was scheduled for June. However, in the face of such controversy, the U.S. multinational announced that “this product will no longer be available.”
Guna leader, Belisario López, warned that they will take all the measures provided for by international law to ensure that Nike recognizes “that the mola that appears on the shoe belongs to the Guna people. We are the owners, and the women who make it have the right to complain.”
The Guna are one of the seven indigenous peoples of Panama, which in their totality represent almost 15% of the country’s four million inhabitants.
