Back by popular demand is Part III of our souvenir inventory (Part I and Part II are here). As we wrote before, we are very picky when it comes to souvenir shopping; yet, sometimes, we do bring souvenirs home. Most of the time it is something related to the culture, religion, or art of the places we visit. And for this reason, dolls from around the world can occasionally be found in our carry-on luggage when we return from trips. This post is not about a grown man describing his growing doll collection. I promise. But it is worth describing the pieces we collected over the years.
1. Jequitinhonha Valley doll, Brazil
While visiting Ouro Preto, one of the prettiest towns in Brazil, we found ourselves in a shop selling ceramic handicrafts. One item immediately caught our eye. On one of the shelves, we saw clay figurines of young women, each in white clothing resembling a wedding dress. There were at least twenty of them, standing shoulder to shoulder - a small army of brides. Nobody at the store could explain the works’ origins, but we liked their simplicity and uniqueness, so we bought one. Later, through online searching, we found out that this type of pottery is from the Jequitinhonha Valley in the northeast of Minas Gerais. Although it is one of the poorest regions of Brazil, local female potters known as paneleiras found a way for their artistic output to generate extra income by selling distinctive pottery, such as dolls, flowers, or scenes from everyday life.
2. Kokeshi doll, Japan
In Japan, we learned something new about its culture almost every day. A significant segment of the Japanese culture can be taught through toys. Toy stores are ubiquitous and filled with purely Japanese creations: anime manga figurines, Hello Kitty toys, and anything from Tamagotchi to Pokémons. But what particularly drew our interest were simple wooden dolls with no arms and legs called kokeshi. These dolls have a long history in Japan with the first models appearing during the Edo period in the 17th century. They are usually made from a single piece of wood, hand polished, carved, painted, and finished with lacquer. After World War II, kokeshi dolls received a major facelift, resulting in a slicker design and becoming a symbol of Japan. We purchased our kokeshi in Nara – a Japanese girl with tar-black hair in a burgundy dress depicting two cranes flying towards a full moon (a reference to a well-known Japanese Meiji era woodblock print).
3. Corn husk doll, El Salvador
Corn husk dolls are a popular craft form in the indigenous communities in North and Central America. These dolls are simple, easy to make, and made from readily available natural materials such as dried corn cob leaves. The beauty of these dolls is that by twisting and folding a few leaves, an artisan can quickly create something out of almost nothing. The elasticity of dry corn leaves also allows sometimes to achieve an unexpected level of detail even with this elementary form of art. So, when we saw a tiny corn husk doll in an artisanal shop in Suchitoto in northern El Salvador, we just could not pass on it and bought it for our collection.
4. Ceramic doll, Mexico
With so much clay in the ground, it comes as no surprise that Mexico boasts one of the best pottery traditions in the world. From exquisite arbol de vida (“tree of life”) items to indigenous ceramics of the north (Mata Ortiz and others), Mexico’s pottery is truly unique. In Metepec, a pueblo magico one hour outside of Mexico City, there is even a museum dedicated solely to pottery (Museo del Barro). Every time we go south of the border, we cannot get enough of Mexican creativity expressed in clay.
During our visit to Guadalajara a couple of years ago, we made it to the neighboring Tonala known as a handicrafts center and especially pottery. We timed our visit for Sunday when the town hosts its large street market. After eating delicious birria (a specialty of Jalisco) at the market, it was time to hunt for pottery. At one of the shops, along with catrinas and other Day of the Dead-related pottery, we came across interesting ceramic dolls. The dolls were tall (about 12 inches in height), and each had a white top and a colorful skirt with an apron depicting various scenes from everyday Mexican life. Also, each doll held a basket filled with items corresponding to the scene portrayed on the apron. For example, the doll that we bought had a man cutting nopales with a machete painted on the apron and had a basket of nopales in her hands. The dolls were quite exquisite with many details including elaborate headpieces and beautifully painted earrings.
5. Straw and flax dolls, Belarus
Finally, let’s close it with the country of my birth. In our collection, we have two dolls from Belarus: a straw doll and a flax doll. And they represent Belarusian culture well. With the abundance of straw, Belarus has had a long tradition of straw weaving. The tradition is so strong that in 2022, UNESCO inscribed Belarusian straw weaving on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since I was a kid, I remember seeing straw-made items (boxes, headgear, toys, and accessories) in souvenir shops in my hometown. A straw-weaving souvenir was always a safe choice for a gift to some distant relative living abroad or a foreigner visiting Belarus. Being a village kid with unlimited access to straw, I also occasionally tried my hand at creating something (we also had workshops at my school where straw weaving was taught), but my artistic output was rather limited and uninspiring.
In addition to straw weaving, Belarus is also known for its products made from flax, especially high-quality linens. Someone who visits Belarus in late spring-summer can witness a spectacle of blooming flax fields filled with blue flowers. Flax is harvested in the fall for its stems to be used in the linen-making industry and for creating household items, decorative objects, and toys for children. One of my most vivid childhood memories is helping my grandmother manually harvest flax as part of the community effort to assist the local collective farm. By the end of the workday, I had blisters on my hands and my fingers were bleeding. It is hard work to harvest flax.
Both straw and flax dolls in our collection showcase the richness of Belarusian artisan traditions. They are unique, intricate, and with a lot of detail. For me, though, they have a deeper meaning as they are not just pieces of Belarusian folk art but something that represents my land and my people and serves as a reminder of the place from where I came.
As we have done in the past, we are closing a year of travel blogging by going through our “Museum of Travel” and reminding ourselves of all the beautiful and strange mementos we have collected over the years. This ritual reminds us of all the places we have been and all we are yet to travel to.
Happy Holidays to all! May 2025 bring health, happiness, and more trips to everyone!
