Artist Linda Rous

Native American No Face Dolls by Linda Rous

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Artist Statement

Gway-Gway! Welcome to the village of My People Nation of faceless Indian dolls carved of wood to help preserve a culture. So many faces of our ancestors are represented by the faceless characters of My people. My People are taken from history and folklore of various North American nations and some from nature itself.

No Face Dolls: Are not idols, kachinas or toys. Recording the history of a culture, they are keepers of history and teachers of morals and tradition. Tradition of the culture is kept through oral teaching. No face indicates an overall message of vanity - what is in the heart is more important than what is seen on the surface. Each doll is signed and numbered on the bottom and comes with a certificate.

Many nations of the First People have used faceless dolls for thousands of years. Some of the better known are the leather and bead dolls of the Sioux, the cloth dolls of the Navajo and the corn husk dolls of the Iroquois.

My People: are carved by hand with only a small knife, one at a time, so they may receive their spirit as each one emerges from the wood as sage is smudged at my work table and the music of first peoples plays in the background. Each one is then sanded, burned with a design, sealed, painted, varnished to create a patina with age and adorned with various accessories, beads and embellishments. Research is consistently on going for the history, folklore and clothing of My People from all nations inhabiting the North American continent. Countless hours are lovingly spent creating each of My People - I know each one personally. They are signed and numbered on the bottom in the order they are created in my line of dolls. Each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity telling the story of the No Face and the story of this particular entity along with her/his name and number. Some are taken from folklore of various tribes and some record a period of history through clothing style. Every doll is unique and a true collectible. My People have begun taking up residence around the world. Limited editions sell out quickly. Every base shown is included with that doll. Each layer of a base adds 3/4" to height.

Folklore tells of the first no face doll: Corn Maiden (most beautiful of the Three Sisters) was happy to be one of the basic food providers of the people and asked Creator if there was anything else she could do for the people. Creator thought on this and made a doll in her likeness to go from village to village helping the elders and playing with the children. As the people commented on her beauty, she became vain. Creator spoke to her about this and she promised to do better. Walking on a river bank one day she again admired her likeness in the water. Creator saw and sent Screech Owl to take her image from off the face of the waters. She spent her days teaching the children and being of service to the people. Her attention focused on the work at hand and she grew old being greatly loved and admired for her beautiful heart. A day came at the river when her likeness returned to the water. Her skin was wrinkled. Her beautiful raven hair had turned a dry silver. She realized that beauty fades but good deeds are remembered always. She began making dolls without faces from corn husks and gave them to the children as she explained the folly of vanity.

Linda Rous

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