CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Doll | litjoko
um 1970
About the object
The doll, which is made of clay and tapers upwards in the shape of a pyramid, has very large feet on which it stands. Its waist-length hair and various geometric patterns have been painted a dark colour. These patterns correspond to the body painting of the Karajá, who live in the Amazonian lowlands of central Brazil along the Rio Araguaia and on the island of Bananal. The Karajá women make these clay dolls Iitjoko. Whereas such dolls were originally used as toys and had an educational purpose, this object was produced in the 1980s explicitly for sale.
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Typical features of these figurative representations are incised patterns corresponding to the body painting of the Karajá and hair made from wax. The majority of the depictions are female. The Iitjoko clay dolls were originally used by the Karajá solely as toys. The dolls have an educational function and are important in the integration of children into the adult world. Both girls and boys play with them, imitating scenes from everyday life. In the course of time, the Iitjoko became important bartering objects for the Karajá and gained worldwide recognition as works of indigenous art, for example at the 1954 Biennale in São Paulo. While the older clay dolls made before 1940 were not fired but dried in the sun, faster production techniques developed due to the increasing demand. This doll, for example, dates from the 1980s and was produced explicitly for sale. In addition, the dolls became a significant source of income, while at the same time serving the Karajá as an "educational toy". Author: Heike Gerlach, Translation: Timothy Connell
