(Look at the folder Doll’s Museum- text of the conference)
Traditional handmade Dolls or how to give a second life to the past and to learn building new paths to a better future.
Myriam Goetz-Rahgoshay,Director of Dr.Rahgoshay Museum- Badrood- Iran
www.rahgoshaymuseum.ir – email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In today’s globalized and highly interdependent world, important cultural divisions emerge between traditional cultures and a new modern rootless sub-culture.
A traditional society refers to a society characterized by an orientation to the past, not the future, with a predominant role for custom and habit.
Convinced that cultural and historical survival will be most valuable if they are pursued within a framework of cultural activities, Dr.Rahgoshay Museum in Badrood, a little town in the Province of Esfahan in Central Iran,has found the way to venerate the past and generate a new impulse to preserve old customs of the region, through a new project entitled “History of Badrood through handmade traditional dolls”. These rag dolls, made out of natural materials like old fabrics or cotton and stuffed with spare pieces of clothes without any degradation of the natural environement.
The first goal of this project was to restablish the dialogue between generations ,so we had a few gatherings at home and let the older generations speak freely about their own enfancy and childhood with their grandchildren.
After that, we started to research the name of the first villagers ,for about 80 years ago, in different professional activities which were very important for ex the first doctor,teacher,camel-puller or midewife.
All our dolls have an Identity Card,so young people can remember their names and be pround of their ancestors.
We have now a collection of more than 150 dolls replaced in their own location (home, workshop or market) and this, in 34 locations on wooden shelves covered with a building sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, and straw.
These locations show the everydaylife of craftsmen like: - the potters , remember that most of vessels were handshaped and constructed from coils of clay;
- the farmers who assumed the principal role in the local economy
-the herborist who helped the village women with his herbal therapy like special herbal tea or plant extract for some primary health care;
-the cupper artisans with their hand-hammering pots;
- the Camel-pullers : at that timethe typical transport of wool,cotton fabrics or tea in the desert was handled by the caravans ;
We didn’t forget midewife and most of the women who generally were used to weave carpets at home; this activity generated substantial amounts to rural incomes.
Some other locations show some traditional events like Nowrooz, the New Iranian Year, Shabe Yalda, the longest night of the year or Ashura which is the commemoration of the death of Imam Hossein.
By making these dolls, adults will strengthen social bonds, teach, remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.
Using words and proverbs of the past,typical songs or poems to explain the secular customs, skills, beliefs and storytelling help preserve myths and folklore and reflect certain values or cultural histories.
Incorporating children through storytelling into everydaylife, including adult activities , will allow children to learn through observation. This inclusion, as a parenting tool, promotes community, participation and cohesion and ensures a lasting survival of their cultural identity and pride.
Some parents realize the value of having a personal investment in their child's play objects. Some of them may have time and inclination to fashion toys for their children, thereby duplicating what their parents or grandparents did out of necessity. Such parents become emotionaly involved in the toys they have created with their own hands.
Social rules and relations will be created, communicated and changed in verbal and non verbal ways.The process to learn those social skills facilitates interaction and leads to communication and socialization , highlighting the importance of mother and local languages.
The second goal was to attest that playing provides kids entertainment while fulfilling an education role.
We should keep in mind that the most important function of play and games for the well-being of the child is to offer him a chance to work through unresolved problems of the past, to deal with pressures of the moment and to experiment with various roles.
So wenn a girl plays with a doll , she anticipates her possible future motherhood and it helps her to deal with emotional pressures of the moment.
Playing doesn’t only benefit the brain but it’s also an enjoyable means of training young children for life in society.
The child up 18 months begins with the imitation game called also symbolic game and reproduces what he sees and he also likes to imitate the role of the parents,for ex he will feed the doll because he is learning to eat alone.
Growing up around 2-3 years the little girl fully enters the symbolic game in which she will be able to build a new world for herself and her doll, she will find a lovely name ,rock it in her arms,tell it stories and get it dressed.This game will allow the girl to express her feelings and to develop her creative area.The doll acts as a regulator of emotions .Doll play is a role play, the child himself is a character and the doll becomes an accessory .
Playing with these traditional dolls by discovering their name, occupation and characters will help kids to discover their identity, to explore their community and learn through observation while the older generations will enrich them with their wisdom and experience.
This process would bind present and future generations together and create a new solidarity, protecting and empowering all the generations.It will also encourage the building of a sense of identity.We can also truly create inter-generational solidarity.
The third goal of this project is focused on generating income.
Rural women , in particular, face major barriers to access productive resources, disadvantages and exclusions, associated with gender roles.We have to find priorities for the development of women social recognition and the improvement of rural women livelihoods and general well-being.This show how improved conditions of women in rural areas can help to achieve all development goals.
The last goal but not the minder one is the promotion of the Intercultural dialogue.
This dialogue is the essential prerequisite for constructing social cohesion, reconciliation among peoples and peace among nations , civilizations, cultures and people all over the world and it’s based on mutual understanding and respect .
Cultures can be different not only between continents or nations but also within the same family.The differences may be moral, political, ethical or religious.
Peace is more than the absence of war, it’s living together with our differences of race, sex, language, culture or religion.That’s the reason why we decided , specially now for Norooz 1395, the new Iranian Year 2016,to take a first step to promote our interaction with people from foreign cultures by sending them ,all over the world, a couple of our traditional dolls with our warmest greetings. Those will be our Ambassadors of Peace and Friendship.
We hope that these messengers coming from the past will be conducive to dialogue, non-violence and to the rapprochement of cultures and will help all of us to learn building new paths to a better future and a sustainable peace.
(Key words: Dr.Rahgoshay Museum, Badrood, Esfahan, traditional dolls, cultural and historical survival, generation gap, mother language, sense of identity, improving rural women lifelihood, intercultural dialogue .)
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http://www.rahgoshaymuseum.com/en/ethnic-dolls-en/dolls-museum-en#sigProGalleria6e653176be