This is an early Skookum Native American Indian Doll, composition head, squaw woman (maybe a man – you can decide?), with baby papoose head peeking over her shoulder on her back. She is wrapped in the traditional wonderful old Native American style blanket that has an orange and black design, and she has a necklace of colorful beads around her neck. The eyes on this doll are the desirable right side glancing, characteristic of Skookum Dolls. My research found that the right glancing eyes indicate following the correct path to a spirit-blessed life and health. I am guessing that this doll dates from the 1920’s or 1930’s?
She is wearing a blue/gray cloth skirt, and under that a purple felt underskirt. The body is cloth that has been stuffed (not sure what material?), but Skookum Indian dolls often had a straw-like stuffing. This doll has a very noble Native American Indian face, with high cheek bones that still have touches of red/pink color in them. There is strong character in this one’s face, which is desirable to a collector of these dolls. There is good color remaining in both the woman and the child’s face. You can see in the photos that there are some flecks and some paint loss on the face, with a white spot on the nose, and other tiny wear spots here and there.
The hair may be mohair (??), and the woman’s long lovely hair is braided. The wig is loose on the top and side where the little baby head sits, and the wig can be lifted up. You can see this in the photos, and I will let the buyer decide if it needs glue, or if it will stay this way. The hair on the back of the papoose head has some spots showing through, and maybe the buyer might be able to work with this to cover them up with the existing hair?
The feet and legs of the Skookum Indian doll are made of wood. The feet are covered in a paper or felt-like material, and you can see in the photos that there is quite a bit of wear and tear on this covering on the feet. Some of the moccasins foot coverings are still glued on, and when I touch the bottom of the feet which have that black paper-like material, a little of the black color comes off on my hands.
There are no labels or tags on this Skookum Indian doll. This is a very nice early Skookum Indian doll in a hard to find large size, with some age wear and tear, and a bit of dust and dirt. It would make a great addition to your collection, or a wonderful gift for that special collector!
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