Knowledge Sharing Platform
doll
doll
doll
Small corn husk doll from Six Nations on the Grand River. The doll has black hair and wears a cotton floral tunic with belt, dark blue skirt, black leggings and moccasins with white beaded edging.
Six Nations reserve (Mohawk nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) written on tag
Read More About This Relative
Corn husk, floral cotton fabric, navy broadcloth, black broadcloth, glass beads, cotton thread, felt, wool.
The body is made from corn husk, the arms are legs are made from braided corn husk. The doll wears black leggings and a navy skirt both with purple edging with white beading and a floral cotton print tunic. She also wears felt moccasins with white beading. Her hair made from black wool and she has a face drawn on with faint red ink.
Round tag reads " No.72 N.A.Indian Corn Husk doll made at Six Nations Reserve Property of Toronto Diocesan A.C.W" Added later NCCT #45
During a MMMC handling session, participants made the following remarks:
Jacqui: "I really enjoy seeing the work and the thoughts that I have when I look at them, because I look at them as all being part of the northern area except this doll here. She has Mohawk clothes on. We think about these things and they are truly Anishinaabe way of life. These things. The way this little girl is dressed is the exact same way as we would dress our young girls. That is the exact same way. Just the way the white beads are on here is symbolic. It is symbolic of those ...what are they? wampum belts. That is all around, that is symbolic. And these little dresses that they wear, smocks. I remember my mom wore them all the time. That is like her dress at home, was a smock and a black skirt."
Materials suggest 20th century but not exact date known
Provenance
This doll was accessioned and catalogued into the NCCT collection in 2012 although it was catalogued by previous NCCT staff in 2002-2007. The doll was part of the Anglican Church Women's donation which was donated to Anduhyan in 1976 and later given to the NCCT. The Anglican Church Women had formed a collection of costumes and curios over the 20th century which had been donated by Anglican missionaries stationed around Canada.
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown Mohawk artist, doll. Currently at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 2012.1.98. Information obtained from conversations with former History Project coordinator June Allison and from Monica Bodirsky's handwritten notes, NCCT Archive; GRASAC item id 27356.
The information found in these records was generated as a part of a research project entitled Memory, Meaning-making and Collections in which Anishinaabe and Cree seniors engaged in handling sessions with objects in the collection of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. As a research partnership between the University of Toronto and the NCCT, these sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Additional information was collected through archival, secondary and comparative research methods. An archive of the project is stored with First Story Toronto at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. For more information on archived interviews or archival material please contact Dr. Cara Krmpotich.