Larger 1600's era Iroquois Eel Fisherman Doll by Paul St John-Mohawk

This is the second Iroquois eel fisher doll by Paul St John, Mohawk craftsman I have offered here. This one has clothing and accessories that would be typical of a 1600's-early 1700's Iroquois man. Everything except the metal and single trade bead jewelry could have been made pre-contact.  (This one is larger and was part of Paul's personal collection)  This doll has all the necessary "accessories" to head out to fish for eel.   He holds in his left hand an eel leister - a trident shaped spear.  He has an eel trap in his right hand.  The strap of an open jute twine bag is over his right shoulder and slung across his left shoulder is a leather bag with closed flap with handmade bone bead closure.  Maybe this bag contains food for the day?  Around his neck is a small leather medicine bag tied in the traditional fashion.   His clothing and these eel fishing items are all made in the style worn/used pre-European contact and with materials and techniques that could also have been used pre-European contact. Doll's body is of white soft tanned deer hide .  Doll's  leggings and breechclout are of a dark brown suede  tanned deer hide - the doll's moccasins and shoulder bag are of a dark brown tanned leather (not suede), the small medicine bag is ais of a tan deer hide but with a different tanning process . His roach headdress is on a small round piece of leather and is made of small guinea fowl feathers and red dyed deer hair.  His long thin scalp lock braid hanging down his back is of black braided yarn. The doll has chest and wrist tattoos that are painted on, as well as tattoos on his face in front of his ears.  The front of his head is painted red, as Iroquois warriors' heads often were. Doll has 2 metal hand cut earrings, a round metal disc worn on a sinew "choker", and 2 metal arm bands (worn around biceps).  He wears a single whiteheart red glass trade bead on a strip of jute.  (This is a vintage bead, you can see it is handcut by its unevenness.) He has a choker style necklace made of 7 tubular wampum beads (these are real wampum with nice purple/white coloring) The eel trap is made of ash splints held together with braided jute. The leister is of an ash branch and it is held together with sinew. There are 2 fish hand carved of bone hanging from his thin leather strip belt.  (Looks like he speared/leistered? a couple of fish before setting out his eel trap). The doll is about 15.5” high (to top of head).  He is 8" wide at outstretched hands and about 2.5" at thickest.  Leister is about 13.5". There are similar eel traps and leisters (full size) of this era in various NE museums - and some tribes have the eel clan as part of their clan system....  eels were an important food source. Since this doll was part of Paul St John's personal collection for several years - he has placed a somewhat lower "used" price on it relative to what he would charge for a similar new doll. This larger doll has been m eticulously crafted by Paul St. John, Mohawk craftsman. Not only is this doll visually correct for the era, the very materials Paul uses are traditional and accurate. The doll is made of soft tanned white deer leather, it is from the Pleasant Point Maine Passamaquoddy reservation.  (Sipayik). Paul has made dolls for several museum exhibits and permanent displays including the Mohawk, the Passamaquoddy, the Maliseet, the MicMac, & the Mt Kearsarge Museum in NH ...  You would be accurate in describing this as a "museum quality" doll.  Each doll Paul makes is unique. Paul makes his dolls dressed in traditional attire for different occasions from quite formal to everyday clothing. This is a "no face" doll - Many NE Native American tribes made "no face dolls" and there are stories and legends about why the dolls have no face. One story is that the Creator and the child together should determine the “personality” of the doll. Another story is that if a face is painted on the doll, the child will begin to identify too closely with the doll’s personality and a pretty face may cause conceit or self-pride.  Yet another is that the dolls were so beautifully made, and given beautiful clothing that when someone added a beautiful face, the doll it self became vain. Please view all the slideshow photos to see the detailed work on this doll.  Last photo is of Paul St John with examples of his other works. Paul St. John lives in Maine, his mother is Passamaquoddy, Maliseet & MicMac.  He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York, his father's homeland and is enrolled in the Mohawk tribe..  - When I saw his work I knew immediately I needed to offer his great porcupine quill decorated sweetgrass baskets and many other crafts.  He also makes quilled/beaded moccasins, barrettes, quill & sweetgrass baskets, birch bark boxes, rattles and many other items. Watch this store for more of his pieces.  Can't wait to see what he is going to create next.

Returns Accepted for this item if it's within 30 Days