Iroquois Man doll, c/1700-1800 w/top hat, wampum bag, club; Paul St John, Mohawk

Description: Here is an Iroquois doll by Mohawk craftsman, Paul St John. - He is wearing clothing and has personal items - all similar to what an Iroquois man would wear c/1700's. - While much of his clothing/items were made/used pre-European contact - you can see with the beads, wool blanket and top hat that there has been some trading for these. Paul made this doll's body out of native brain tanned deer leather, His moccasins, leggings, breechclout, medicine bag, neck knife sheath and arm band are made of soft tanned deer leather- tan colored with some items made suede side out - others smooth side out. THe doll has a red blanket with yellow stripes at ends over his shoulder (this is made from vintage red wool and yellow silk ribbon). Doll carries a traditional Iroquois ball headed club (this is made of clay not wood) - Doll has a top hat (which would have been made of beaver fur - This is made of densely felted wool - so dense it is difficult to believe it isn't beaver fur!) - he wears a blue bead bracelet made of old vintage small blue tubular beads - his hat band is of the same blue beads. He has "trade silver" hoop earrings and a "trade silver" brooch is at center front of his had. His necklace is of small vintage chevron beads and small brass beads. His hat band has 2 small quail feathers, a bit of red-dyed deer hair and a small black yarn braid (this would have been made from a bit of a braid of this man's own hair, cut and used to accessorize his hat) The braid, the deer hair and feathers are attached to hat band with a strip of the leather used in most of his clothing. - Doll has traditional Iroquois tattoos - on his chest, wrists and in front of his ears (painted on) .. The top of his head is painted red - as Iroquois warriors of the time often did... He wears a leather medicine/tobacco pouch around his neck, this has a top flap folded over and secured with a hand carved bone bead. He has a shoulder bag, open at top - the back side, fringe and strap are of a dark (dyed) deerhide.. the front side is made with very old French bead "wampum" - (the French, Dutch and later English made tubular glass beads in colors to replicate actual shell wampum and these were widely accepted and used in the 1700's-early 1800s) The colors of these beads are very dark purple and white. Doll has an open shoulder bag - of moosehide with a smoked deerhide long strap, also a medicine pouch of moosehide at his neck. He wears 3 beaded necklaces - the 2 shorter are of various small beads in white and blue including several small blue striped white trade beads. His longer necklace has a beaded chain of white glass seed beads and at bottom there are 3 brass beads (these are French brass trade beads) and 2 striped chevron beads. (7th photo in slideshow above is a close up of these, his other necklaces, medicine pouch and larger "trade silver" brooch.) Doll carries in his right hand a small rectangle of incised bone - This is a piece that was decorated by an ancestor of Paul's .. the design of large X's and small circles is an old one..4 holes have been drilled through the narrower sides .. Here it is a talisman for the hunter. This doll was part of Paul's personal collection - which he is now "downsizing" - ... One of the pieces Paul liked so much he kept it for a few years... This Iroquois man doll is 13" high, (from top of top hat to bottom of moccasins). He is 5" across at hands and about 2.-2.5" in depth, The clothing, jewelry and accessories of this doll are accurate for a Iroquois man living in the 1700-1810 era -. Not only is this doll dressed in attire correct for the era, the very materials Paul uses are traditional and accurate. The doll is made of soft tanned deer leather from the Pleasant Point Maine Passamaquoddy reservation. (Sipayik), vintage wool, fabric and beads are used. Paul has made dolls for several museum exhibits and permanent displays including the Mohawk, the Passamaquoddy, the Maliseet, the MicMac, & the Mt Kearsarge Museums (Mt Kearsarge in NH) ... You would be accurate in describing this as a "museum quality" doll. Each doll Paul makes is unique. This is a "no face" doll - Several NE Native American tribes made "no face dolls" and there are stories and legends about why the dolls have no face. One story is that the Creator and the child together should determine the “personality” of the doll. Another story is that if a face is painted on the doll, the child will begin to identify too closely with the doll’s personality and a pretty face may cause conceit or self-pride. Yet another is that the dolls were so beautifully made, and given beautiful clothing that when someone added a beautiful face, the doll itself became vain. Paul makes his dolls dressed in traditional attire for different occasions from quite formal to everyday clothing. Please view all the slideshow photos to see the detailed work on this doll. Last photo is of Paul St John with a friend. Paul St. John lives in Maine, his mother was Passamaquoddy, Maliseet & MicMac. He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York, his father's homeland and is enrolled in the Mohawk tribe.. - When I saw his work I knew immediately I needed to offer his great baskets and many other crafts. He makes quilled/beaded moccasins, barrettes, quill & sweetgrass baskets, birch bark boxes, rattles and many other items. Watch this store for more of his pieces. Can't wait to see what he is going to create next.

Price: 197.75 USD

Location: Sedgwick, Maine

End Time: 2024-11-20T16:02:17.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.75 USD