As 85 color images reveal the beauty and craftsmanship of these unique toys, 25 historical sepia-toned photos place them in the context in which they were used, all accompanied by fact-filled captions and an authoritative text. Seven tales illustrate the role of toys in passing on valuable lessons.

A variety of Native American dolls - from prehistoric ceramic figures to striking contemporary creations by Inuit and Pueblo artists - fill 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, as items manufactured for sale. Some dolls today are created as artworks and coveted by collectors. Full-color images portray the beauty and craftsmanship of the dolls - among the most enchanting objects in the National Museum of the American Indians's vast collections - in Small Spirits. Each doll, from the simplest toy made of sticks and cloth scraps to the exquisitely dressed replica of a woman in her finest regalia, offers a glimpse into a particular cultural world, like that of the Navajo, Cree, or Tapirape - and into the mind of an individual maker, perhaps a grandmother reflecting on the past, a child fashioning a plaything, or an artist creating a gallery piece. The great variety of form and materials - such as walrus tusk ivory, cornhusks, and beeswax embellished with the brilliantly colored feathers of tropical birds - reflects the vibrancy and range of Native American lifeways.

Includes "eighty-five...full-color images...twenty-five historical sepia-toned photographs...[and] seven compelling tales that illustrate the role of toys in passing valuable lessons from one generation to the next..."

Noted paper doll artist Kathy Allert's keen eye for authentic detail is reflected in this meticulously researched and accurately rendered collection. It contains a boy and a girl doll, each approximately 5 1/2" high, and 31 different full-color outfits accurately re-creating the native dress of 19 tribes that span a vast area of the North American continent. Among the traditional costumes (identified on each plate) are an Apache coming-of-age dress; a Tlingit dress with button blanket; an Inuit costume of the Far North, complete with ivory snow goggles and harpoon; the dress of a modern Kiowa princess; the feathered short and fringed leggings of a Crow warrior; the lace-trimmed blouse and multicolored skirt of a young Seminole girl; the brightly decorated trousers and tunic of a Choctaw boy playing stickball; a Pueblo Deer Dancer's costume, decorated with evergreen sprigs; as well as colorful tribal outfits of the Algonquin, Iroquois, Cheyenne, Ojibwa, Sioux, Hopi, Navajo, and other Indian tribes. Headdresses, hats, baskets, jars, dolls, and other accessories complete the authentic native costumes. A unique addition to any paper doll collection, this charming volume offers hours of educational entertainment for doll lovers of all ages. It is an especially useful resource for social studies classes or for anyone interested in the clothing and culture of North American Indians.

The world of Native Amer. children was filled with dolls and toys, for play was an important way of teaching children the skills that they would need throughout their lives. This book takes you on a journey through Native Amer. childhood, full of joy and play, informed by a deep respect for the family. By playing with the miniature dolls, tipis, sleds, spears, canoes, kachinas, and cradleboards made for them by their parents and grandparents, children prepared for life. Includes 85 full-color images of the toys and 25 historical sepia-toned photos place them in the context in which they were used. Includes 7 tales that illustrate the role of toys in passing valuable lessons from one generation to the next.

One doll, 8 carefully researched costumes of the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Pawnee, Sioux, Apache, and Arapaho tribes and the Acoma pueblo. Plus basketware, jewelry, blankets, toys, footwear. 1 paper doll. 8 full-color costumes.