Learn how the Southwest spirit doll follows in the tradition of the kachina doll and represents the cultural environment of the desert. Gourd Artists, Judy Richie, Robert Rivera, and Martha Boers will inspire you with their dolls.
The spirit doll is an ancient being, familiar and beloved to many cultures around the world. When making a spirit doll you weave life and love into your creation by making something solely by hand with materials from nature with very personal intention.
Native American tribes often saw their dolls in this perspective, not as a child’s toy. Early on, a child’s doll was usually made of perishable materials like cornhusk, palmetto fiber, or bundled pine needles; even dolls that were made from wood or leather were not often built to last the way the spirit dolls were.
In many tribes it was considered inappropriate to discipline a young child, so they simply weren’t given toys they weren’t allowed to chew on and throw in the river. Instead, these highly crafted spirit dolls were treated as a talisman for an inner spirit.Early on,
This Southwest spirit doll is named,Raven Spirit (Grandmother Spirit Keeper Bird Clan) by the Apache gourd artist, Cynthia Whitehawk. It represents traits of the raven in their cultural history. The smart raven symbolizes a change in consciousness and different levels of perception and they also were messengers of magic and healing.
As part of this clan, the owner might uses this doll for meditation or a reminder of their place in the Apache culture.
Gathering Ideas from the Past
Many of the Southwest spirit dolls made by today’s gourd artists reflect the style of the Hopi and Pueblo people. Within the Hopi religion, the kachinas are said to live on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona.
To the Hopis, kachinas are supernatural beings who visit the villages to help the Hopis with everyday activities and act as a link between gods and mortals. Dancer often portray them at ceremonies.
The kachina dolls were learning tools to help the children and young people remember the 400 different kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo cultural stories and dances.
The largest collection is the Goldwater exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.
By the way, these simple dolls were carved in sycamore and cottonwood and became more sophisticated when they began to be bought by tourists.
Today many Native American artists have made the kachina an art form for collecting.
How do the Master Gourd Artist Approach the theme?
The Southwest Spirit doll has captured the interest of many great gourd artists. My three favorite artists are Robert Rivera, Judy Richie, and Martha Boers. These three artists create spirit dolls that reflect the kachina attributes. They have no arms and use real or simulated native American embellishment to give their doll a kachina look.
Here in Arizona, many of my gourd buddies making dolls will collect snake skeletons and snakeskin to make necklaces and wrappings for around the doll.
A Spirit Doll may represent elements of nature like Mother Earth, a garden, animal, earth, air, fire, water – anything visible or invisible that animates the vital principle that gives life to physical organisms. You bring your vocabulary and meaning to the process. Sometimes a spirit doll is made in honor of a specific place that holds meaning for the maker or to honor a certain season or holy day. You might want the doll to embody the Full Moon (or the Dark or the New). Maybe you need a Wild Woman doll to shake a few things loose in your life!
Judy Richie
Her award winning dolls look similar to the southwest Kokopelli figure. Her gourd choices lend themselves to her fluid dancing style. Some even carry flutes.
Many of the headdresses reflect those of kachinas. Her work also has southwest design patterns that are easy to burn. Her work always inspires me.
Let’s take a closer look for ideas you like.
She also has other dolls that use other shapes of gourds.
Robert Rivera Spirit Dolls
Robert Rivera creates his Southwest spirit dolls to reflect the kachina and other tribal images from the past. Most are made from a small gourd with round bottoms and tops. Some have gourd heads, others have air-dried clay heads.
His style is not as refined as Richies, but more primitive and painterly. There are many different styles over the years he has added to the many galleries that show his work.
His work is varied with many old pieces highly collectible. I recently saw this one on eBay, signed and priced at $2,500
Riveria’s Spirit Dolls Are Adorn with Native American Embellishments
The gourds are stitched, etched, cut, broken, scorched, sandblasted, dyed, and wrapped. They are adorned with yucca fiber, suede, buckskin, raffia, African beads, shells, heishi from the Santo Domingo Pueblo, inlaid turquoise, willow sticks, horsehair, turkey feathers, cloth, snakeskin, and Tablita headdress. He tries to use things from the native cultures.
You will find that his work varies from complicated to simple, done quickly, to work that took hours to assemble and complete. When you primarily sell at galleries, this is expected. But each style can offer you ideas if you look closely.
Also notice the pots on the head. Some done with great care, others kept simple.
Martha Boers spirit Doll Style
Martha is a profession doll creator and came to gourds recently. She is an award-winning Canadian doll maker.
She manufactures dolls, creates and sells doll costumes and patterns. Martha Boers specializes in the manner of fantasy and historical-style costumes. With her sister who creates the bodies, the two women have become quite famous for their character dolls. The faces are polyer clay and as you can see are very expressive!
She has begun to explore the characters that reflect the Native American cultures as expressively. Her unique Southwest spirit doll figures are created using as many natural items as possible. Just recently, she has begun to use gourds as a base for a her doll. Using her palmer clay skills, she creates expressive faces that give her dolls personality and character. I think the face sets the tone for the rest of the doll and is her trademark.Just recently, she
Boer’s Background in Costume Design Enhances her Dolls
As a costume designer and seamstress, she wraps her hours in creating the accessories and embellishments. She says she most enjoys this part because it allows her to learn so much more about the culture and the life style of her characters.
Her skills in so many areas allows her work to reach a very high standard, but there are many techniques here you could adapt.
I don’t have a “studio”. My sewing machine is tucked into a corner of my living room, and I just work in my big comfy chair (the armrest serves as pin-cushion) with my supplies arranged on the end table beside me. Cutting fabric is done at the kitchen table, as well as any sculpting and painting. That’s how I’ve always worked.
It is not often we have to the opportunity to see a costume designer’s work up close. Focus on the varied material she uses to accomplish her look.
See more of her doll figures on her web site.
The Elk Hunter
This is a gourd art figure with a painted Paperclay mask and base. The hair is created with black yarn braids. He wears a blue/green striped, fringed blanket, leather shawl, and a headdress of sculpted antlers and rabbit fur.
Notice the beaded hair ornaments, feathers, and necklaces of seed beads, stone, shell, and wooden beads. He carries a rawhide drum painted with a deer and embellished with beaded and feathered tassels. He is carrying a drumstick and a painted fringed leather bag.
Planning your Spirit Doll
Before you begin, You will need to find its spirit source.
Your Southwest Spirit Doll may represent elements of nature like Mother Earth, a garden, animal, earth, air, fire, water – anything visible or invisible that animates the vital principle that gives life to physical organisms.
You bring your vocabulary and meaning to the process. Sometimes a spirit doll is made in honor of a specific place that holds meaning for the maker or to honor a certain season or holy day.
You might want the doll to embody the Full Moon (or the Dark or the New). Maybe you need a Wild Woman doll to shake a few things loose in your life! Or follow our featured artists and create your version of a kachina doll or Native American figure.
The Southwest spirit dolls made from gourds can take many shapes from a kettle gourd shape to the top of a long neck gourd. The head on these this long-neck gourd is an added small egg gourd glued into the cut-off area. Sometimes arms are added with paint or with air-dried clay. Others avoid that problem by wrapping cloth or leather around the doll covering the arm position. All kinds of different embellishments are added to the head. Start by gathering gourds and gourd pieces together to try and image a plan. Or sketch some ideas before you begin.
There are not many sources for help.
I have created a handout for this post you may download from the store. It will include some of these photos so you can refer to them again.
I found one book and some guide sheets plus I collected several images of southwest spirit dolls beyond those in this post. Also, go to Pinterest and start a board of Southwest spirit Dolls, then search the same keyword and find what other searchers have saved.
I also found a few short videos that might inspire some ideas. Start simple ,if this is your first doll. If you like the experience, then you can start collecting things for the next doll. Do not be afraid to play with the polymer clay for a face. Try new things with this project and do not hurry it.
This is a simple short video on creating a clay face by practicing with play dough.
Another way to create a doll with a gourd.
If you have made a spirit doll, please share your tips with us.
Please, share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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Thanks for the great comments and please come back to read others. Find them all listed on the blog page under the post archive button!
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