Gilcrease Museum is temporarily closed for construction.

Get the Full Story

Male doll with fringed buckskin shirt / Native American; Lakota Sioux

Essay/Description

Male. Fringed buckskin shirt. Vertical panels at sides, over shoulders, descending to hem at front and back. Medium blue fields with whiteheart and dark blue “Morning Star” designs. Beaded cuffs. Buckskin leggings with beaded sides from waist to cuff. With “tipi” designs. Beaded footwear with geometric designs.

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).

You may be interested in...

Title(s): 
Male doll with fringed buckskin shirt
Culture: 
Native American; Lakota Sioux
Date: 
circa 1890
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
Great Plains, United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
hide, glass
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
84.919
Department: 
Not On View

Our Online Collections site is a work in progress. If you have information about this item that may be of assistance, please contact us.