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Female doll with red cloth top with bead necklace and concha belt / Native American; Navajo (Diné)

Essay/Description

Female. Red cloth top with bead necklace. Blue skirt with white polka dots. Simulated concha belt. Cloth footwear. Loop bead earrings. Ink-drawn features.

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 red cloth top with bead necklace and concha belt
Culture: 
Native American; Navajo (Diné)
Date: 
20th century
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
cloth, glass, metal, ink
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
84.927
Department: 
Not On View

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