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Doll with baby / Native America; Yupik-Inupiaq

Essay/Description

Doll with baby. Seal gut parka and footwear. Wooden heads with carved facial 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): 
Doll with baby
Culture: 
Native America; Yupik-Inupiaq
Date: 
19th century
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
Lower Kuskokwim, Alaska, United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
seal gut, wood, sinew, leather, cotton string
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
93.59
Department: 
Not On View

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