Corn husk doll

A corn husk doll made in traditional design

A corn husk doll is a Native American toy, a doll made out of the dried leaves or "husk" of a corn cob.^[1] Making corn husk dolls was adopted by early European settlers in the United States of America.^[2] Corn husk doll making is now practiced in the United States as a link to Native American culture and the arts and crafts of the settlers.^{[citation needed]}

Corn husk dolls do not have faces, and there are a number of traditional explanations for this. One legend is that the Spirit of Corn, one of the Three Sisters, made a doll out of her husks to entertain children. The doll had a beautiful face, and began to spend less less time with children and more time contemplating her own loveliness. As a result of her vanity, the doll's face was taken away.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Digital collection - Corn Husk Doll". Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/collection/itempage.jsp?itemid=5950. Retrieved 28 September 2011. 
2. ^ "The uses of corn in 1845". Eastern Illinois University. http://www.eiu.edu/history/ha/exhibits/2010/Corn_website_Werkmeister/Corn%20for%20people.html. Retrieved 28 September 2011. 
3. ^ "Oneida Nation Museum - Legend of the Corn Husk Doll". Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. http://museum.oneidanation.org/education/cornHusk.htm. Retrieved 28 September 2011.