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Female doll with beaded buckskin dress / Native American; Cheyenne

Essay/Description

Female. Buckskin dress, shoulders and bodice beaded with geometric designs. Fringed sleeves and hem. Beaded belt, footwear and leggings. Beaded facial features. Human hair bound in pigtails with leather cord. Beaded medallions with thongs at skirt front.

Dolls were typically made for children to play with and were made to resemble humans, including tribal clothing and designs. Through play, the dolls “were used to communicate tribal values, practices, and customs” (Cotherman 2007, 24). Children learned how to prepare food, hunt, care for children, and make clothing by imitating adult behaviors in play. The clothing the dolls wore reflected the designs and patterns of that tribe or family tradition and often resembled human clothing the maker would create (Cotherman 2007).

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Title(s): 
Female doll with beaded buckskin dress
Culture: 
Native American; Cheyenne
Date: 
late 19th century
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
Great Plains, United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
hide, glass, hair
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
84.903
Department: 
Not On View

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