• Seminole Palmetto Doll Artist
• Folk Historian
Judy Baker learned the craft of Seminole palmetto doll-making from her grandmother and mother, and began crafting the dolls herself when she was around ten years of age.
"Palmetto dolls are made from fiber found in the middle of palmetto bark," she explains. "It's brown in color, stretches after being cut, and after it is dried, it can be fashioned into dolls. Palmetto grows in thickets, and is harvested with tools including axes, knives, saws, and sometimes files. One palmetto plant can yield between four and five dolls. The first Seminole dolls were made around 1900. They were toys for children, and were not clothed."
Although Baker's directions for doll-making may sound simple enough, the end product is quite intricate in its beauty: "The head is made first and stuffed with palmetto fibers. The body was traditionally stuffed with palmetto fiber, although sometimes cotton is used now, and a circle of cardboard is cut for the bottom to keep the doll steady when standing it." She further explained that the face is fashioned by embroidering or sewing on the eyes and mouth.
Fashioning the hair can be a bit more complicated: "Sometimes the doll's hair is crafted in the 'board' or 'bonnet' hairstyle that is rarely seen now: Seminole women would fan their hair over a tilted cardboard disk-shaped frame that was stabilized by the hair once in place. The doll's hair may also be fashioned from yarn in ponytails and braided styles.
"When the tourist boom began in Miami, Florida, around the 1920s, visitors loved to see Seminole villages. Alligator wrestling, souvenir beads, earrings, and other crafts were always a big hit, but palmetto dolls were the best sellers."
Soon the doll makers found a brisk trade. "Doll-making quickly became a cottage industry that earned income for the Seminoles," Baker says. "Clothing was added in colorful, elaborate patchwork and traditional designs." But Judy Baker and other doll crafters sometimes make these highly prized items by special request. For colorful images, visit: Seminole Indian Palmetto Dolls.
Extra!
The artistry of Seminole Patchwork began during difficult times for the Seminole when women used scraps and leftover fabric to fashion into hand-made clothing. As early as 1880, Seminole seamstresses acquired hand-operated sewing machines that made their labor easier and its output quicker.
A dozen years later, an explorer spotted the machines in every Seminole camp he visited in southeast Florida. Shortly before 1920, the colorful patchwork garments were made from strips of cloth in horizontal patterns of contrasting colors for both men and women. They eventually evolved into a series of "stock" or "traditional" patterns, including the diamondback rattlesnake; rain; lightning/ thunder; broken arrow; man on horse; bird; and the four directions colors.
Designs may also symbolize Seminole clans, which are matrilineal, passed down through the mother: Panther, Bird, Wind, Otter, Bear, Snake, Deer, and Toad/Bigtown. As time passed, creative symbols unique to the designer also became a trend.
Seminole patchwork designs are seen on skirts, jackets, vests, and other types of clothing. It is also used to fashion potholders, bonnets, purses, totes, towels, quilts, and many other items.
To be gifted with a Seminole handcraft is a great honor!
Sources:
Informal 2014 interview with Judy Baker
History of Seminole Patchwork website
History of the Seminole seamstresses and the Singer Sewing Machine
A version of this article by KB Schaller appears in 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, winner of an International Book Award, Women's Issues Category. Other KB Schaller books are available through amazon.com and other booksellers. Contact: soaring-eagles@msn.com
