Life was very different in times before Walmart and Temu. Fruit and vegetables had to be planted, harvested, and traded for. Meat had to be hunted and processed by hand. And clothing had to be made. Though all tribes had different cultural rules, the women were often expected to make clothing for the children.
This can be a daunting task! Imagine life as a native woman. You’re newly with child. Depending on where you live, you may have to work with skins that would need to keep the water off so your family members stayed warm and dry. You might need to harvest plant fibers to weave together. Maybe you even need to treat leather so it is breathable. Your ability to make proper clothing not only meant having something to wear; it was another part of how your family survived weather, climate, and even some injury. How did they learn all these skills?
Today, some children still have Home Economics or Life Skills classes in school that teach how to sew. But many native children were given a different way to learn the necessary skills.
They would make their own toys.
Learning is best retained when you get to enjoy what you do. So what better way then to teach the children how to make their own dolls! Making dresses or moccasins. Using leather or plant material. The children would be encouraged to create the dolls and clothing for them.
It was said one could always tell the favorite doll of a child because it would have multiple outfits!
Dolls were more than just a simple toy, they were a way to teach the next generation the skills for how to help their own future family to thrive!
Have you ever made your own dolls? Some of us grew up with a parent that knew a bit of sewing and would make clothing for our dolls growing up from scraps of fabric, did you ever have a favorite doll outfit made for you? If you could make your own dolls with the current young generation, what would you make it out of?
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