One night I was reading a historic novel for young adults, in which a specific excerpt made me cry rivers. The young protagonist, born in “the Wild West”, had been taken East to “get a White education”. Her father was white, her (deceased) mother was Native. There, with those who were supposed to be her relatives, people who actually despised her for the color of her skin and her “wild manners”, the only companion she had was a corn husk doll that her father had made for her before going back West. So she waited and waited, hoping for her father’s return, while she spoke to her doll… and let her doll speak to her. Through what psychologists might call “transference“, the very simple doll had become her Ma Doll, letting her corn husk self speak from the Spirit realm in the voice of the deceased mother. The doll was very basic, she had no face (a prerequisite if you respect and honor the ways of Haudenosaunee (Oneida) people who avoid giving a face to their corn husk dolls to remind people never to think that they are better than anyone else). The doll didn’t even have a patch of corn silk for hair. The young heroin’s father had just tied strings around the husks to make a neck and a waist. Through my tears, as I read, I vowed I would make more dolls for her, who would be a little bit less basic, to bring the past alive and build a beautiful present and future for her… and for all those who felt like diving into the magic of such simple and yet magical dolls. I would make more dolls to tell her about this Wild West she was longing for, to give companions to her speaking doll, and maybe to also do some other kind of magic as I was healing my own, personal longing for reCORNections… with people, spirit, magic and with my artistic self. My choice is to make dolls mostly related to the New Mexican history and idiosyncrasy, but I also customize dolls for every event or circumstance.
Little by little, other crafts are also appearing in my creative world in order to represent the cultures that make New Mexico so unique. You can discover my creations on this Recornection Facebook page. It is important for me to dive into creations that always keep a coRnection with natural material like corn husk, corn meal (through salt dough structures), tree branches, leaves or sticks, also using upcycled material to try to bring my little contribution to the conservation of our beautiful planet.
Apart from acquiring my beauties in person or through my soon-to-come online store, you can also book workshops (see videos below) for your friends / clients / family to enjoy a happy creative time!
Contact me for details, I am looking forward to talking to you!
Corn Husk Doll Workshop at Shabeta’s Healing Garden, Albuquerque, 2017
Corn Husk Doll Workshop at Shabeta’s Healing Garden, Albuquerque, 2017
ReCORNectioN 