As we stated last week, after we shared a post on Native dolls, we also wanted to share some of the dolls from our own collection!
The Seminole people reside in the Everglades of southern Florida. In the late 1800’s the women began making dolls out of the palmetto for the tribe’s children. The fibers of the palmetto were used for the majority of the doll’s construction. Later, cotton was used to stuff the doll’s fiber husk body.
Although most palmetto dolls do not have extremities, they still manage to five and accurate portrayal of the Seminole people. The dress is considered a patchwork dress, and was common among the women. The hair, though usually make out of cardboard or yarn, was also typical of their hair styles. By the 1920’s the tourist trade brought the opportunity for Seminole women to make a living making the dolls for the market.
