Inuit dolls, pre-1976Inunnguaq (ee-noong-walk)Baffin Island, NunavutCaribou fur, seal fur, sinew, thread, beads
Mothers and grandmothers made dolls dressed as adults for young Inuit girls to play with. From an early age, girls would also make these dolls for themselves – learning essential skills in the process. Later on, dolls were also sold to outsiders as tourist pieces, and continue to be made today as both souvenirs and treasured toys. The two dolls, acquired by World Museum Liverpool in 1976, feature miniature versions of men’s and women’s traditional clothing. The boy doll (left) wears a cropped, hooded jacket, with short trousers, high inner boots (fur to the inside), slippers (fur to the outside) and mittens. The girl doll’s (right) attire is distinguished by the shape of her amouti (or parka), which features a long front and back flap. She wears cropped trousers and lower leggings of caribou fur with high boots. The clothing is made from seal and caribou fur, which takes considerable time to process and sew. The seamstress went to the trouble of enhancing the borders of the parkas with thin panels of contrasting seal fur. The boy’s ruff and the girl’s hair are made of a softer brown fur from a land animal. Collected by Miss D. G. Russell Accession numbers 1976.558.9 (boy doll) and 1976.558.10 (girl doll) In this section
|
Language support
© 2007 National Museums Liverpool
