This book features a dazzling variety of Native American dolls - from prehistoric ceramic figures to striking contemporary creations by Inuit and Pueblo artists - fills the pages of "Small Spirits". These miniature forms have played rich and diverse roles in indigenous cultures from antiquity to the present, serving as toys and learning tools for children, sacred and magical figurines, props and performers in drama and dance, and, in recent years, items manufactured for sale. Some dolls today are created as artworks and coveted by collectors. Stunning full-colour images portray the beauty and craftsmanship of the dolls, from the simplest toy made of sticks and cloth scraps to the exquisitely dressed replica of a woman in her finest regalia. Each offers a glimpse into a particular cultural world - Navajo, Cree, or Tapirape - and into the mind of an individual maker. The great variety of form and materials - such as walrus tusk ivory, cornhusks, and beeswax embellished with the brilliantly coloured feathers of tropical birds - reflects the vibrancy and range of Native American lifeways. Mary Jane Lenz's insightful, authoritative text offers a lively discussion of the intriguing roles that dolls have played in Native American cultures and explores their significance today, while carefully chosen historical photographs bring to life the people who made and used these remarkable creations.
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About the Author
Mary Jane Lenz is a museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Clara Sue Kidwell (Choctaw/Chippewa) is director of the Native American Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Big book on small spirits,
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This review is from: Small Spirits: Native American Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian (Paperback)
This expanded version of a previous publication on Indian dolls from the Heye Foundation collections has beautiful illustrations, and excellent text content. My only wish is that more photographs of the extensive collections at what is now NMAI would have been included, particularly from the Plains areas. I would have opted for a few fewer large format photos in exchange for more smaller ones.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great information,
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This review is from: Small Spirits: Native American Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian (Paperback)
This book is full of wonderful information by an employee of the American Indian Museum. I couldn't put it down.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Small Spirits,
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This review is from: Small Spirits: Native American Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian (Paperback)
Great book for helping to identify lots of Native American dolls from Tierra del Fuego to Pt. Barrow.
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