Small Spirits: Native American Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian

Description

Offers a lively discussion of the intriguing roles that dolls have played in Native American cultures and explores their significance today Carefully chosen historical photographs bring to life the people who made and used these remarkable creations Dolls have universal appeal and resonance in human life, and have played rich and varied roles in the diverse cultures of the Native peoples of the Americas from the earliest times to the present. This is a revised edition of the landmark book The Stuff of Dreams: Native American Dolls, first published in 1986. New photography and design, and the addition of important recent scholarship, personal accounts and memories by Native people, and wonderful new examples of doll clothes and contemporary dolls make this the most authoritative book on the subject. Stunning full-colour images portray the beauty and craftsmanship of the dolls, from the simplest toy made of sticks and cloth scraps to the exquisitely dressed replica of a woman in her finest regalia. Each offers a glimpse into a particular cultural world – Navajo, Cree, or Tapirape – and into the mind of an individual maker. The great variety of form and materials – such as walrus tusk