Hello, my name is Karla Bonilla
and my pronouns are she/her/hers
and my name is Tahmoor Chadury
my pronouns are he/him/his,
and we are interns with the
Latino Heritage Internship Program, or LHIP,
and we’re placed at Salem Maritime and
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites.
LHIP is coordinated between
Environment for the Americas and the National Park Service
and places Latino youth in NPS sites all over the country.
Through a collaboration with the
North Shore Community Development Coalition
and the National Park Service,
we’re going to be talking about faceless dolls today
and show you how to make your own.
So, what is the connection between faceless dolls
and Salem Maritime National Historic Site?
We wish to use this activity
to highlight El Punto,
a historic neighborhood in Salem that has been the home to
immigrant families for many generations.
Faceless dolls originated in the Dominican Republic, and today,
El Punto is a predominately Dominican neighborhood.
Faceless dolls are a unique and often-celebrated
handicraft from the Dominican Republic.
These dolls were first created in 1981 by Liliana Mera Limé,
a pottery worker from the town of Moca in the Dominican Republic.
Limé handcrafted the first doll and did not include a face on it
because she did not then have the tools needed to make one.
Once displayed in her shop,
Limé’s faceless dolls drew immediate interest
and their simple beauty had a mass appeal.
Over time, the dolls became more and more popular
and different artisans added their own unique touches.
The dolls are now sold all over the Dominican Republic
in different shapes, sizes and skin colors
in order to reflect the unique diversity of Dominican women.
So, before we start,
I just wanted to share a finished doll with you all.
This is one that I created and she’s about 10 inches tall.
She has black yarn hair, a red hat,
little orange arms,
and the dress skirt, hat and the hem
have red roses, a volcano,
orange poppies, and a green vine
and the name of my mother which is Anna Cecelia.
So, my doll is also 10 inches tall.
It has orange arms, black hair, and a blue hat.
I’m not very artistic so
I thought I’d write down all the places
that I’ve been too in varying colors and sizes.
And to give it a little more pop,
I thought I’d go for a psychedelic vibe with the skirt
and on the scruff of the neck
I have my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees.
Let’s get started on making our own faceless dolls.
Follow along with us.
First, let’s gather our supplies.
For this activity, you’ll need
the faceless dolls template,
a glue stick or a hot glue gun,
markers, colored pencils or paint,
a pair of scissors,
one pipe cleaner,
a foam ball or a crumpled paper ball,
yarn,
and any other embellishments such as gems or stickers.
Now that you have everything you’ll need,
let’s get started with decoration and assembly.
First, decorate the dolls' dress and hat as you see fit.
Have fun and express yourself!
Make sure you take into account where the doll will be folded
when you create your design.
Once you are finished decorating,
cut out the dress skirt (A),
the hem (C),
the shoulder ruffle (B),
and the hat (D, E, and F).
Start first with the dress skirt.
Roll it a few times to soften the paper’s ridges.
Next, put some glue along
the small section next to the dotted line.
Make sure to use a lot of glue!
Carefully press the two edges of the skirt together
and hold for a few moments to ensure that they're stuck.
Repeat this step with the hem and the shoulder ruffle.
Slide the hem down the length of the dress skirt.
Then, glue the shoulder hem around the top of the dress skirt,
though not the peak!
Add the pipe cleaner, or arms,
by poking small holes, or slits,
under the shoulder ruffle.
Glue the dolls head to the peak of the dress skirt,
above the shoulder ruffle.
Next, create the doll’s hat.
Cut along the horizontal lines on E.
Roll up section E and glue the two opposite edges together.
Next, roll up the opposite ends of D
and glue their ends together.
Apply glue to the bottom of section E
and attach to section D.
Finally, glue section F on top.
Next, create whatever hairstyle you’d like
for your doll using the yarn.
Popular styles include braids, loose hair,
adding a basket of fruits or flower crowns, and more.
Finally, if you so desire,
glue the hat atop your doll’s hair.
That’s it!
You’ve officially created your very own faceless doll.