Thes figurines/ dolls are special to see! Visit the Smithsonian site of the museum itself to see the collection of dolls or use the database link below . .
| FROM THE COLLECTION A Prairie Band Potawatomi Doll | November in New York will bring a major new exhibition to the National Museum of the American Indian showcasing some of the collection's smallest works.
Mighty Miniatures will feature more than 300 works from the museum's collection of more than 1,300 miniatures from around the Western Hemisphere, including baskets woven from strands of horsehair, pottery that could balance on a fingertip, and intricately made small toys such as tipis or boats. |  | Prairie Band Potawatomi doll, 1880–1920
Kansas. Hide, horsehair, cotton cloth, silk ribbon, wool yarn, glass beads, German silver, wood, vermilion. 9.8 × 5.3 × 2.0 in. NMAI 24/1799. | Although many pieces in the exhibition were created as souvenirs or keepsakes to be sold to tourists and collectors, some were made and then used by the Indigenous communities that created them.
This is the case with dolls and playthings, such as this one made by the Prairie Band Potawatomi during the late 19th or early 20th century. Dolls and other miniatures were important teaching tools for Indigenous children as they learned about the world around them and the communities they lived in.
Through play, children began to learn the skills they would need as adults, such as pretending to hunt with small bows, learning to set up a toy tipi, or sewing small clothes for a doll. These practical lessons helped develop problem-solving, physical, and social skills over time. | Details that reflect a communityDolls especially are used by children to decipher their world as they use them to mimic the adults that surround them. Dressed and adorned like their community, these dolls preserve the traditional techniques used at the time and typically use the same materials. The body, moccasins, and pouch of this Prairie Band Potawatomi doll are made of deer hide or buckskin, and her hair is made of black yarn and horsehair. Embellished with beadwork and silk ribbons mirroring Potawatomi ribbonwork, her clothing is made from wool and cotton fabrics. |  | Back view of the Prairie Band Potawatomi doll, showing details of the clothing and ribbonwork. | The miniature replicas of German silver jewelry, ornaments, and beaded necklaces reflect her wealth, while the representation of a bear claw tied around her neck, the beaded medicine bag, the prescription stick, and the leather pouch containing vermilion illustrate that the woman is likely a healer. | When compared to a photograph of Prairie Band Potawatomi women from Mayetta, Kansas, wearing ribbonwork dresses during the time the doll would have been made, the similarities are clear. |  | Wakabushkuk and Wam-to-she-quart, Prairie Band Potawatomi women from Mayetta, Kansas, wearing ribbonwork dresses, 1860–1930. David C. Vernon Collection. NMAI P22021, NMAI Archives. | These tiny works from locales ranging from North, Central, and South America and Hawai‘i spark wonder and delight at their minuscule size while their histories and stories are so massive. As we welcome Mighty Miniatures to New York, we hope you will join us to celebrate our smallest works in big ways. View the doll in the collections database |
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Your support helps the museum care for the collection, share stories like this one, and create opportunities for people to learn more about Native peoples and cultures. |
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