For the past 17 years, I’ve made a doll for each of my senior volleyball players (a rough estimate of about 80 dolls over the years).  Because it’s just something that goes with volleyball at Laurel-Concord, you could say it’s a tradition.  At the end of each season, the seniors on my team are expecting a doll, with hair color a close match to their own and dressed in a uniform similar to the team’s.   

Actually, the making of a doll for each player is a takeoff of something my mother initiated.  In 1976, my high school volleyball team finally had a winning record. My involvement with a volleyball team at that time was not as a coach, but as a player.   At the end of the ‘76 season, my mother presented to each of the senior members of the team a bear she had made symbolic of a memorable season. The joy experienced with that gesture on her part had a lasting impact on me, and I’ve made this become a part of my personal volleyball environment or culture I share with athletes wherever I coach.

The idea for my personal growth project came to me while traveling last summer.  I started to notice that several dolls were displayed in the museums we visited.  So, I began gathering images via picture taking and decided that maybe I could make a replica of a Plains Indian doll.  Since I’ve established this doll-giving custom of my own, learning about Native American’s uses of dolls held great appeal.

Dolls have been around for a very long time and appear around the globe.  Numerous resources consulted shared that not all dolls are toys.  As noted in Native American Dolls, small SPIRITS, by Lenz, dolls were used for many things such as for play, power, performance and purchase.  Dolls were often made of perishable materials like corn husks, roots, and bundled pine needles.  Even those that were made of wood or deerskin were not often built to last the way the adult crafts were.  In fact, some tribes were watching for the time when the toys naturally fell apart.  It showed that a child was growing up.   

Since corn husk dolls are one of the oldest forms of dolls known in the Americas, I decided to make a corn husk doll since I’d never made one before. An internet search provided the instructions I used to construct my 1st corn husk doll.  While searching, I often came upon the Iroquois legend about the “faceless doll”, similar to the information presented on page 16, Smithsonian in the Classroom, Fall 2004. 

All along, though, my ultimate goal was to make a replica of a more traditional looking Native American doll similar to some of those seen in the various museums.  Along with the resources included at the end of this article, I also used the internet to locate additional pictures of Native American dolls.  While I was successful in finding some, I experienced frustration because many looked too modern to me.  Considerable time was spent, and many different key

words and search categories were used as I continued to hunt for an image I had in mind of how a Plains Indian doll should look.  I wanted to make a replica of that image.  Eventually, I came across an article that caught my attention about romanticizing images.  The site was about a featured “stereotype of the month” addressing one of the “Spirit of the Earth Barbie Doll Collectors Edition” dolls. When one thinks of Barbie, you might be willing to admit that the image you

see might be somewhat skewed.  However, since I wasn’t finding what I was searching for, maybe I, too, have a somewhat romanticized image in mind.  Therefore, I’m not offended to say that I also have created something that someone, especially someone very knowledgeable about Native American artifacts, might call an “artifake”.

Finally, construction began on my attempt to create a replica of a Native American doll in traditional attire.  Making the various uniforms for my dolls over the years had given me some experience in being creative about recreating an image.  However, I found myself checking and rechecking images to try and make decisions about accuracy of the details in clothing, etc.   I felt extremely uncomfortable about offending someone.  Coming across information about the fines involved with creating and selling items as traditional Native American Art as outlined in the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 added to my stress.  Well, I wasn’t planning on selling anything, so I forced myself to just dive in.  While searching the net for information about how to bead, some stress was relieved when I came across the quote by Emma I. Hansen, Curator, Plains Indian Museum of Buffalo Bill Historical Center, “There is no one book that explains differences between tribal beadwork designs.  Generally, an individual learns about the designs from seeing several objects and doing considerable amount of research.”   After spending a great deal of time on this project, I am by no means an expert about traditional attire, but it is easier to make a guess about the type of tribe the artifact might be associated with.  It’s rewarding to see that you recognize some of the characteristics before reading the identification provided with the images. 

Setting a final deadline for the completion of the project helped me realize that my replica had evolved as I constructed.  I’d moved from trying to copy one of the designs I found, to having the doll’s attire be symbolic of things associated with myself as a mother of four children.  I had learned that a custom of the Lakota Sioux was the grandmothers created dolls for their granddaughters which were used to explain the tribe’s heritage and the granddaughter’s future responsibilities.  If I were to give this doll to someone, I’d want it to say something, also, instead of just being a copy of a design.  In addition, the image I thought I was creating on the yoke of my doll’s dress wasn’t always turning out the way I’d envisioned it, so modifications were made as I progressed. 

My ultimate goal resulted in something that I can take pride in having created.  A bear, a volleyball player, a corn husk doll, or a replica of a Native American doll--they all represent taking the time to show someone you care about them.  The quality of the construction such as the beading, etc. is not even close to authentic items displayed. Also, it is my hope the connections I have made to the Native American cultures are not looked at as a stereotypical image or something similar to a cultural appropriation that would be offensive.  It is an example of the respect I have for many different parts of the culture. The symbolism that came about as I constructed my doll is explained in the paragraphs below.

First, each of the four areas of red beads with a tassel stand for my four children and their birth month. The yoke’s beading represents some things I’d want each of my children to recognize about their heritage.  The orange and black image represents our home.  The design is constructed from an upside-down T and P for Toby and Patti and forms a teepee.    I have always wanted to use this image as a name for the land we have worked to improve.   (We purchased an extremely run-down acreage, completely remodeled our home, and cleaned up the surrounding acres.)   The two green and gold areas were truly, a design gone bad--it wasn’t turning out the way I’d envisioned it.  These areas eventually came to mean green for wealth, and gold for riches.  While the money we receive from both parents working seems not enough at times, the gold is constant as we are rich in happiness and the things that really matter.  The blue cross is an indication of faith.  And, the orange and black bars represent our association with Laurel, Nebraska:  Bar one- both parents are Laurel-Concord graduates; Bar two- all of our children have attended the Laurel-Concord School; Bar three- various involvements in school and community activities.                  

The colored rows starting the design at the shoulders and at the bottom of the dress were originally placed in an order that I felt was pleasing to view.  As I continued to bead across, I realized that my chosen pattern could also be somewhat symbolic.  While various colors mean different things to different tribes, I could connect my pattern to one explanation of the symbolic meanings I found during my time spent researching.  Red could mean longevity & childbirth; Green or Brown, things provided by Mother Earth; Blue, sky or water; Black, darkness; and Dark Blue could be victory.  Therefore, starting at the red and working from left to right:

            May my four children experience a long life (Red), having been provided with things to meet their basic needs (Green), and been allowed to soar (Light Blue), experiencing many riches (Gold), overcoming any challenges (Black), as they go through the seasons of their lives (Light Green), being rewarded in various ways (Orange) leading to the ultimate victory of everlasting life (Dark Blue). 

Please Click on the following slideshows for step-by-step pictures:

 Native American Doll

 Cornhusk Doll

 Research

Resources Used:

Kant, Joanita. Old Style Plains Indian Dolls. The South DakotaMuseum, Volume II, Number 1 1975.  South Dakota, 1975

Lenz, Mary Jane, Native American Dolls, small SPIRITS, From the National Museum of the American Indian, ISBN 0-295-98363-9

Schiffer, Nancy N., Indian Dolls With Values, ISBN: 0-7643-0305-8

Smithsonian In Your Classroom, Fall 2004, Native American Dolls

Beading Instructions:  http://www.matoska.com/siouxlazystitch.htm

Various Internet sites for images of dolls.