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..."

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.

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.

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.

Dress little Morning Star for a number of important tribal events. She comes with brightly colored outfits worn by the Shoshone, Kiowa, Apache, Cheyenne, Sioux, and Seminole. 1 doll, 22 costume stickers.

Carefully researched mini-collection features a little Navajo girl with a contemporary wardrobe of jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers and traditional tribal skirts, tops, and footwear. 1 doll, 26 full-color stickers.