Potawatomi Doll I picked this doll because it is pretty. It was made by the Prairie
Potawatomi tribe in the late 19th century or early 20th century. It
was made out of cloth, wood, string, leather, buttons and beads, as
well as yarn, copper, zinc, and pins. It is a traditional toy for children
to play with. Today, such dolls are still being made in the same manner
as back then. As in the past, children are playing with these dolls.
The doll did not used to have a face because the children could imagine
it. Many years later somebody painted a face on the doll. The woman
wears a traditional dress with her family colors and patterns sewed
on it. The doll wears two kinds of bags. The small bag is made out
of leather and inside the bag is her umbilical cord. The larger bag
is made out of leather but it has beadwork on it and it is used for
carrying things like tobacco and cedar. She used a stick for gatherings
and ceremonies too. If she wears a hairpiece, it means she lost her
little boy. The doll is 25.8 cm high. |