Native American Corn Husk Dolls

We have been focusing on Native American Culture. This week we had a visit from Mary & Dora, two sweet ladies from the Keetowah tribe. They shared with us the history of the corn husk dolls. They made several dolls. It was really neat! They are made from real corn husks, hickory nuts, & thread. Cornhusk dolls are one of the oldest forms of dolls known in the Americas. The Native Americans have a legend about the "faceless doll." The first cornhusk doll was made to be the companion for a little Indian girl. The doll was so beautiful; it spent all of its days gazing at itself in the clear pond in the woods. The Creator punished the doll for her vanity and removed her face forever. The Native Americans taught the early settlers to make these dolls. Mary & Dora also taught us the Cherokee words for corn (say-lew), beans (dew-yaw), hello (o-si-yo).