Native American, South America, northeastern Argentina and southern Paraguay, Pilagas peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. An intriguing children's doll formed from a bird bone and dressed in a light green and beige textile skirt wrapped with grey and blue string. The top of the bone flares outwards forming the head, while the ball of the joint bone is covered by the skirt. A small tuft of cloth wrapped in pink and white textile is strapped horizontally to the bone forming the doll's shoulders. The Pilagas are a small community of around five thousand native people who reside in northern Argentina and southern Paraguay. Pilagas women make dolls, like this example, to serve as toys for their children. Male dolls are made of bird bone and wrapped in cloth, while female dolls are formed from clay. Size: 1.875" W x 6.25" H (4.8 cm x 15.9 cm); 7.25" H (18.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Two similar examples can be found in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University under accession numbers 43-13-30/4074 and 43-13-30/4065.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection

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#163038

Light fraying to textile skirt and some small perforations to shoulder, commensurate with age and use. Staining to fabric, but colors are still clear. Otherwise, excellent and intact with light earthen deposits on bone.