Bear Doll #2 Traditional Iroquois clothing c/1750-1880s: Paul St John, Mohawk

Description

The
Passamaquoddy word for Black Bear is "Muwin".  Here is a Black Bear dressed in traditional Iroquois man's clothing (c/1750-1880's), wearing a birch bark hat with several accessories that would have been part of what a Wabanaki man of that era would have.
(The Wabanaki Confederacy includes 5 Northeastern tribes; Abenaki, Maliseet, MicMac, Passamaquoddy & Penobscot)
Mohawk craftsman, Paul St John crafted a doll of this stoic, majestic bear of the Passamaquoddy "Storytime" legend.  - Paul has made Bear out of native tanned leather - and painted his head black.  His body is soft tanned deer leather..He wears leather moccasins of the same soft deer leather.  This is 2nd "Bear" doll
that Paul has made
- first was dressed a Maliseet man's hunting/shaman's "earred hat" and a great coat with beadwork, it sold very quickly.
This Bear doll wears a short s
leeve
red trade wool jacket over his black calico print tunic shirt.  This bear doll has a small musk turtle shell "gorget" necklace.  Bear has a red trade wool scarf/collar which is fastened with a "trade silver" brooch that has cut work forming a cross.  This Bears's birch bark hat has a etched double curve design.  He wears 4 beaded necklaces as well as the turtle shell gorget and a neck knife around his neck.
(see the 2nd to last photo for Paul's inspiration for these dolls)
The clothing, jewelry and accessories are accurate for an Iroquois or Wabanaki man in the 1750-1870 era.  Bear wears 3 necklaces -  one is a choker of white seed beads w/center blue/black beads, one is of   necklace has
tubular shaped  blue & white glass wampum beads (commercially made in the 1600-1800's)  with
blue and white seed beads.  The turtle shell gorget is on an orange bead necklace chain.  His leggings  are of black trade wool which are beaded and have a red silk ribbon.  He has a red tradewool breechclout and short sleeved jacket, both trimmed with black ribbon and both have beadwork design.   His leggings are tied on with red ribbon strips. (like traditional men's leggings these are tied on/not pants.    He wears a tunic shirt of medium black cotton calico, in a pattern reproduced from the 1800's.  Bear
wears a birch bark hat with a beaded band, the had has a long turkey feather on one side and a downy pheasant feather at the back giving him a jaunty appearance.  He has a neck knife in it's leather sheath around his neck (see it out of the sheath, next to his moccasin in photo #9 in the slideshow above.  Bear
has a leather shoulder strap bag which has closure flap and long fringe.
On one side he wears a real wampum bead earring.
(Wampum:
traditional shell
bead
of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of American Indians. It includes the white shell
beads
hand fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and the white and purple
beads
made from the quahog or Western North Atlantic hard-shelled clam.  The purple shell wampum beads are less common and more valuable).
This Bear doll is 13" high, about 9" across and about 3" deep.  Doll will come with commercial white stand that appears in some of the photos
Please view all photos in slideshow above - these show all details mentioned.  Second to last photo shows a Passamaquoddy drawing - of animals dressed in traditional (1700-early 1900) attire -  Otters, rabbits, a bear and birds are depicted.  On an edge of the drawing (which is cropped out so as to show you more detail of animals/clothing) is a Passamaquoddy word which has been translated as "storytime" ...  it is 2 words... so very roughly  "he/she/they want to listen" ....
Not only is this bear doll in Wabanaki attire correct for the era, the very materials Paul uses are traditional and accurate. The doll is made of soft tanned leather
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 Museums (Mt Kearsarge 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.
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 baskets and many other crafts.  He 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.