One of the dominant characteristics of molas is that absolutely every available space is covered with work: there's virtually no "empty space" on a mola!  Of course, not all designs can fill the entire rectangular area of a mola so Kuna women have designed specific types of "fillers" to place in areas that are not used for the major design.  Here are five general types of filler elements.

 Nega, Achutupu, 1999.  This mola displays the use of tas-tas, which are vertical lines used as filler (and also used as an integral part of this design, which represents the traditional Kuna house construction of upright bamboo poles).  The tas-tas on this mola are especially even and narrow.  In less expert work, the vertical slits tend to be more football shaped, whereas these are of even width virtually their entire length.



 


Eclipse, Nalu Nega, 2001.  This mola shows extensive use of the filler type wani-wani, which are the small triangular cut-outs into which variously colored triangles are appliqued.  This mola is a depiction of the Kuna myth that a lunar eclipse is caused by a dragon eating the moon, and can only be prevented by an albino man shooting an arrow toward this dragon.

Nia, Achutupu, 2001.  In this mola we see the use, both in the design elements and in the background, of kuini-kuini, which are minute circular cut-outs.  This is probably the most difficult filler design to execute -- often the "dots" are less than an eighth of an inch in diameter.  The design represents an evil spirit -- which is why this mola is so ugly!

Sun and Stars, Wichub Whala, 1998.  This beautiful old design shows the use of bisu-bisu as a filler: that is the random geometric swirls that fill the spaces between the central sun image and the four stars that flank it.  The colors in this mola are very traditional, as is the design.  The swastika is used extensively in Kuna symbolism, even appearing on their traditional flag.






Tree of Life, Ogobsucum, 2007.  In some of the most traditional designs, no background filler is needed: the design literally "grows" into the area that it is meant to fill.  These pictorial molas were popular during the middle decades of the 20th century and the designs are now highly prized by modern mola makers.  This is a copy of a mola that was purchased by a friend of mine around 1960.  I brought that mola to Kuna Yala in 2000, and ever since then molas inspired by that original design have been turning up throughout the islands!