Not Just a Pretty Face: Dolls and Human Figurines in Alaska Native Cultures [Paperback]

Molly Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Now in a full-color second edition, Not Just a Pretty Face is an engaging exploration of the role of dolls and doll making in Alaska Native cultures. From ancient ivory carvings to the thriving tourist market, dolls and human figurines have played integral parts in the ritual, economic, and social lives of Native Alaskans. Dolls served as children’s playthings, represented absent community members at ceremonies, and predicted the movements of game animals for shamans. Not Just a Pretty Face surveys these and other uses of dolls and figurines, illustrating in beautiful color photographs the diversity of the doll-making tradition in Eskimo, Athabaskan, and Northwest Coast Native communities.
Authors explore the ethnographic literature, twentieth-century oral histories, and photographic documentation of dolls and the doll-making process. Contemporary doll makers explain, in their own words, how they learned to make dolls and what doll making means to them. The second edition features a photo essay on Rosalie Paniyak of Chevak, one of the most influential doll makers in Alaska today.
Not Just a Pretty Face provides a panoramic view of an ancient tradition and situates the art of doll making within a contemporary context. Scholarly, yet accessible, Not Just a Pretty Face is a lively contribution to the literature on dolls, anthropology, and Native studies.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Molly Lee is curator of ethnology and history at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. She is the author, with Gregory A. Reinhardt, of the critically acclaimed Eskimo Architecture: Dwelling and Structure in the Early Historic Period (University of Alaska Press 2003).

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: University of Alaska Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889963852
• ISBN-13: 978-1889963853
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,472,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A striking showcase of dolls and dollmaking, July 8, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Just a Pretty Face: Dolls and Human Figurines in Alaska Native Cultures (Paperback)

Now in an updated second edition, Not Just A Pretty Face: Dolls And Human Figurines In Alaska Native Cultures is a striking showcase of dolls and dollmaking, exploring their role in the lives of native Alaskans from ancient ivory carvings to the modern tourist market. Filled with color photographs, Not Just A Pretty Face is both an artistic and anthropological showcase. The text surveys the history of dolls and dollmaking, and includes interviews with dollmakers as well as speculations upon the future of native arts. A lay reader-friendly showcase for anthropology shelves, Native American studies shelves, and doll collector shelves alike.