Dolls have been a standard toy since the beginning of the human race. It doesn’t matter where you look in the world, from the courts of Europe kings to the Plains of Asia and America or to the vastness of Africa, anywhere there has been civilization, people have made dolls for their children.
Few dolls were ever made with the love, care and attention to detail that the Sioux, and other Plains tribes did. As you can imagine, creating a beautiful doll from scratch required a little more dedication than a trip to the local toy store or a shopping trip on Amazon!
This doll that we just obtained was made between 1900 and 1910. To dress a doll like this, the mother used the same material she would have used to create an outfit for her husband. Buckskin was used for the shirt, hand sewn with sinew, and beautifully beaded with glass beads, the same ones used to decorate the clothing of adults.
The pants are made with pieces of blue trade cloth, with
strips of beading on leather sewn to the sides. The leather moccasins have sewn
soles on them and are beaded on the tops. The doll is made with a cotton
material that was cut out, sewn together and stuffed with fabric or possibly
leather. The head of the Warrior doll is leather, and the eyes, nose and mouth
are beaded.
The hair of the doll is from a horse’s mane.
This doll is in great condition and was owned by a collector in Philadelphia. It is 14” tall and comes with a museum quality stand. According to the owner, there has been some minor restoration (the blue cloth was replaced) by Kathy and Bill Brown from Illinois. Their talents are well known in the beadwork world.
This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a very special piece. I can just imagine the eyes of the young boy or girl who was given the doll by their mother. It is special, has been well cared for and the owner wants to pass it on to someone who will continue to treat it with respect.
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