x0x Miniatures to perfection Damal dolls

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x0x Miniatures to perfection Damal dolls

By Dr Yildiz Demiriz

The term Damal dolls means nothing to most people, and
the few people who have heard of them are usually
unaware that Damal is a place name. So let me begin by
explaining that Damal is a small town in the district
of Posof in Ardahan province in northeastern Turkey,
before telling the interesting story of these local
dolls. Fidan Atmaca was born and raised in Damal and as
a child used to make her own dolls from pieces of wood
and clothing made from scraps of fabric.  That was 30
years ago. Evidently the young Fidan was a resourceful
child, and it is no surprise that she grew up to become
a skilled dressmaker. She specialised in traditional
regional costumes, which she made for the trousseaus of
young brides, and as her reputation spread, people
began ordering costumes for folk dancing troupes from
her. Widespread interest in traditional costumes
inspired her with the idea of making simple handmade
dolls dressed authentically in every detail. Later on
she began to buy factory made dolls and dress these in
local costume.

In 1990 a man purchased one of her dolls and entered it
into a competition at Izmir Fair under his own name. It
won first prize. Then the same man took the doll to
Japan, where again it won another prize. Fidan Hanim
was unaware of this at the time. She enjoyed none of
the honour of being a prize winner, nor the financial
gain which resulted. Meanwhile, with the encouragement
of the governor and Damal's district director she
opened a workshop, where she taught young girls the
skills needed to make Damal dolls. Today's 65 young
women are employed in this task. So what is special
about them? Miniature versions of regional costume are
made for two sizes of doll, the larger 40 centimetres
tall and the smaller 30 centimetres. The costumes are
those worn by local women on feast days and ceremonial
occasions, and in fact are Georgian in origin, since
the area has a considerable community of Georgians who
settled here many years ago.

This mountainous region is cold in winter, and the
costume is designed to keep the wearer warm, as we will
see when we take our Damal doll onto our lap and
examine its garments one by one. Underneath she wears
long pantaloons which may be made of printed cotton or
any other fabric. Her knee-length socks are tied with a
cord to keep them up. These are no ordinary socks, but
handknitted with motifs in four different colours, the
feet patterned to look like slippers over the socks.
The colour of these 'slippers' is important, because
they are visible beneath the velvet dress with its
skirt split into three panels, and their respective
colours must be in harmony. The ends of the front
panels are gathered up and tied behind at the waist,
revealing two separate underskirts in different colours
and decorated with braid. Over all there is the apron,
that indispensable part of almost every traditional
costume around the world. The apron of my own doll is
of velvet, trimmed around the edge with a band in a
contrasting colour.

She wears a blouse in a bright colour, over which is a
waistcoat entirely embroidered in beads. Her white
headscarf is decorated with a beaded woollen fringe
that stretches down over the waistcoat like a collar.
The headscarf is held beneath the chin with beads, and
its beaded edge crosses her forehead, showing just a
little of her blonde hair. Her cap is decorated all
over, but particularly the back part, with beads,
buttons and ribbons, and a long band of beads hangs
down the back of her neck. The costume of the smaller
dolls is also in keeping with the original in every
respect, including undergarments and socks. The beads
and sequins on the cap, the beaded ornament used to tie
their hair, the beaded decoration on the scarf, and the
beaded waistcoat are exact miniatures of those worn by
the girls and women of Damal. Even the tiny socks are
handknitted, and the sewing techniques and fabrics are
all original.

My doll is a meticulously made model, and as anyone who
has tried to make anything of this kind will know, the
smaller the model the more skill is demanded to remain
faithful to the original. No description is equal to
seeing the real thing, and the pleasure of discovering
all its intricate details.

* Professor Dr Yildiz Demiriz is an art historian.