PRIEST FROM THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: AFEPr
Tesfaye Abebe is an Orthodox priest who lives within the Lalibela complex of rock-hewn churches found in central Ethiopia. As in the rest of the country, the church is the center of worship and community life. Tesfaye is one of an elderly group of men who represent a lineage stretching back to the 4th century when the Patriarch of Alexandria consecrated the Church in this exotic land. Carrying his cross or umbrella, Tesfaye often spends his days in quiet contemplation or reading from the Kidan (New Testament). Seated, he worries that once he and his gray-bearded companions are gone, their ancient traditions may die away with them. A processional cross is included with the doll. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

DEACON FROM THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: AFEDe
Haile Mariam serves as a "Deacon" in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the official state religion of the country. Religious festivals are strictly observed by the faithful. He wears a crown, which symbolizes enlightenment. The traditional robe, tied in yellow, covers Haile's everyday sports coat, and he holds a small processional cross. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

TIGREAN WOMAN: AFTw
Berhane is easily identified as a Tigrrean, by the style of her hair. But, she likes the traditional Amhara clothing as well, and is wearing the white dress and embroidered shamma (or shawl) of her neighboring tribesmen. She loves to sing, and will sometimes accompany herself on the "krar" - an ancient instrument reminiscent of the lyre that sounds a little like a guitar. A miniature "krar" is included with the doll.

Carved wood doll with stand: $275

TIGREAN MAN: AFTm
Because it is a holiday, Tekle is dressed in white jodhpurs, tunic and a hand-embroidered gebi. He carries a horsetail switch to keep away the flies and mosquitoes. A miniature "switch" is included with the doll.

Carved wood doll with stand: $275

Polymer doll with stand: $225

MUSLIM GYPSY FROM BALE MOUNTAINS: AFMg
Ali is a Muslim gypsy from the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. He is a pilgrim who walks for days to get to the sacred places where he prays. He carries his "forked" staff (included with the doll), which identifies him to others. His long gray beard shows that he has traveled a long way by foot. He wears beads made from assorted, dried seeds. He sits proudly with his staff beside him.

Carved wood doll with stand: $275

Polymer doll with stand: $225

HARARI BASKET LADY: AFHb
Tewedudu is one of Harar's little basket ladies. Patiently sitting in her stall in the ancient marketplace, she makes and sells the unique baskets for which Harar is known. The bright colors in her traditional clothing match her multicolored merchandise. She treasures the customary faux, amber beads that she wears around her neck, with a small silver-toned Koran holder as the centerpiece. She wears a small basket on her head.

Carved wood doll with stand: $275

Polymer doll with stand: $225

RASTAFARIAN MAN: AFRm
Freedom is a Ras Tafari from Shashamane in southern Ethiopia. He lives with his wife and two sons in a corrugated iron house. They are members of Ras Tafari, a religious movement that began in the Caribbean in the early 1920's. Ras Tafari was the common name of the Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, and Freedom and his fellow "Rastas" considered Selassie a God. Freedom and his sons wear their hair in long, rope-like braids called "dreadlocks", and wear a red, black, and green crocheted cap that is large enough to hold all their hair! Freedom lives a "mellow" lifestyle, relaxing with his pipe in the evening and playing soccer with his sons on the weekend. He loves reggae music.

Carved wood doll with stand: $275

Polymer doll with stand: $225

ADARI WOMAN: AFAw
Majda is a lovely Adari woman from Harar in eastern Ethiopia. She covers her head and adorns herself with beautiful embroidered silks and elaborate jewelry. Peeking out from the hem of her long black skirt are intricately patterned traditional black and yellow trousers. Decorative though the ornamental jewelry around her head and arms may be, it is not her best. Her most beautiful adornments are saved for the privacy of her home.

Carved wood doll with stand: $325

Polymer doll with stand: $275

MAASAI MAN: AFMm
Ole-Moi-Yoi lives just on the border of the Masai Mara Game Reserve where the men are known for the high jump dance. This young moran's appearance emphasizes the importance of the color red for the Maasai. The beaded necklaces have crimson accents, as does his bead and button headband. His skirt and cape are patterned in different shades of red, and he's even colored his plaited hair a lovely maroon. Hung with beaded and leather ornaments, Ole-Moi-Yoi's elongated earlobes were pierced when he was a child, as are those of all Maasai children. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

MAASAI WOMAN: AFMw
Namina is one of the entito (young maidens) grooming herself to attract the attention of the moran (young men of the tribe). Like her friends, she shaves her head to draw attention to her beautiful jewelry, which is threaded on wire. Namina hopes her elaborately beaded finery will catch the eye of one of the strong, good looking morans. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

SAMBURU WOMAN: AFSw
Mamuteli wears the many strands of beads given to her by her admirers over the years. She will continue to add to her collection, wearing the necklaces until her chin is supported by them. She is quick to follow the customs and ceremonies of her ancestors, including the practice of shaving her head. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

SAMBURU MAN: AFSm
Lmuget is a young Samburu warrior from Archer's Post. His hair has been plaited and smeared with red ochre and animal fat. He wears a beaded headpiece, along with a small piece of fabric that covers and protects his hair. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

GABBRA WOMAN: AFGw
Nagay's cape shows the colors and typical patterns most favored by her people. Her unique aluminum jewelry, as well as her headpiece are made from melted down old cooking pots. She wears a leather pouch around her neck which contains all her charms needed to protect her against evil spirits. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

© 2002 Ellen London
All Rights Reserved.

TURKANA WOMAN: AFTw
Akueri is a young married woman. She wears a beautiful leather cape with beadwork that she designed and created herself. She has styled her hair in the traditional fashion, ready now to be flattened with animal fat by the women in her village. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

LAMU WOMAN: AFLw
Lamya wears the Muslim bui-bui that covers everything except her eyes, hands and ankles. Her hands and feet have lovely henna designs and she wears a silver hand of Fatima charm around her neck to ward off evil spirits. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

LAMU MAN: AFLm
Rachid wears the traditional Muslim garment called the "Kanzu", along with a small, white hat called the "Kofia", and a red and white woven scarf imported from Saudi Arabia. Since he is a businessman he also wears a sports jacket over his traditional cloths. His cool clothing protects him from the strong African sun. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

© 2002 Ellen London
All Rights Reserved.

RASHAIDA WOMAN: AFRw
Khalima is an orthodox Muslim, and so she wears the burkha. Once she marries she will wear a black cloth that covers her mouth as well to show her respect for the prophet Mohammed. Khalima's flared, red, appliqued skirt is perfumed, and she wears her tribe's traditional silver jewelry as a reminder of her roots in Saudi Arabia. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$350

HAUSA TRIBE, NIGER, MARKET LADY: AFHt
Leila is a member of the Hausa tribe in Niger. She lives in the capital city of Niamey where she is a market vendor, selling mainly lengths of brightly colored, wax method cloth. She lives in a new single-family house built by the government. Her husband is a policeman and the money she makes from working in the market pays for her children's school fees. She is wearing a traditional outfit of Niger cloth that she embroidered herself. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$275

RICKSHAW WALLAH: ASRw
Zakir rides a bicycle rickshaw through the streets of Gulshan and Baridhara. He takes great pride in his rickshaw, which is brightly decorated with paintings of movie stars and traditional motifs. He wears the traditional longhi, head scarf and "western" oxford shirt that have become the "uniform" of the "wallah". Zakir lives in a small, tin house on the banks of a Dhaka lake with his wife and six children. Although he does not own his own rickshaw, he takes pride in his work, and is well known in the Gulshan area. Polymer doll comes with a stand.

$225

LUNGHI MAN: ASLm
Yakub sells lunghis. He collects them from the factory where they are starched and then tightly folded around cardboard. Traditionally, lunghis are woven blue, green and white plaids, but recently men also wear batik designs, and the price of the lunghi depends on the quality of the "weave". Once Yakub collects the lunghis, he places them gingerly on his head and walks throughout the streets of Dhaka selling them. Polymer doll comes with a stand.

$225

POPCORN SELLER: ASPs
Amin the "Chanacheur" (or snack man) has dark black hair and a mustache. He wears the traditional outfit of the "snack man", orange cotton tie pants, a tunic tied with a traditional lunghi cloth, and bells tied onto his ankles to signal his pending arrival. He carries a horn and a tray of small leatherette with Bangla lettering. Polymer doll comes with a stand.

$225

BIRD/BASKET MAN: ASBb
Ali lives in Dhanmondi with his wife and youngest daughter. Everyday he travels to Elephant Road in Dhaka to collect the green parakeets he sells on the streets of the city. He carries the birds on his shoulders in two small cages, two birds to a cage. He wears the traditional lunghi, head scarf and western oxford shirt. You can see Ali walking throughout the streets of the diplomatic zone selling his birds. Polymer doll comes with a stand.

$225

YAO MIEN WOMAN: ASYmw
Yao Ming spends much of her time weaving and embroidering the intricate cloth that can be seen on her trousers and head scarf. Dignity, politeness and reserve are paramount in preserving harmony and coorperation in her family and village. Her goal is to live a life that will gain her honor in this life and beyond. Yao wears a turban decorated with a traditional motif, trousers, and a long, sashed robe. Beautiful embroidery graces her trousers. She lives with her husband and family in her husband's father's home. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$325

LAHU NA WOMAN: ASLnw
Ning is a Lahu woman in a tribe that numbers about 60,000 in Thailand. She lives in Chiang Rai in a house far from the main road in a very traditional village. She is a Christian and speaks the standard Lahu dialect. Her family members are farmers who grow rice and corn, they live close to their extended family. Ning works closely with her husband and parents in managing their farm. She wears a long coat with colorful appliques and beautiful silver-toned jewelry. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$325

HMONG WOMAN: ASHw
Peng Peng is a member of the Hmong group in Northern Thailand. She lives in a mountain village near Doi Pui. Her grandfather grew poppies for a living. In Thai, the Hmong are called Mong or Maeo. She wears a knee-length, pleated skirt made of batik cloth, along with a beautifully embroidered apron and sash. The elaborate embroidery on her clothes is breathtakingly beautiful. Her house has an earthen floor and only one door that faces downhill. She wears a jacket of blue/black indigo with embroidery and appliques. Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$325

AKHA WOMAN: ASAw
Nareeya is a member of the Akha Tribe and lives just north of Chiang Mai in North Thailand. Her ancestors came to Thailand from the Yunnam province in China. She speaks the traditional language called "Ioio/Yi", which is a branch of the Tibeto-Burman language. She wears an elaborate silver-toned headdress and jewelry, a small jacket with cross-stitch embroidery on the pants and leggings.
Carved wood doll comes with a stand.

$325

NEPAL MONK: ASNm
Dilip is from Nakargot in Nepal. When he was eight years old, Dilip entered training as a monk at the Kapan Monastery just outside of Kathmandu. He has lived there ever since, and is now a teacher of the young monks. Dilip lives a quiet life of prayer and meditation, but in the middle of the day when prayers are finished you can see him walking through the hills enjoying nature as God intended.

Carved wood doll with stand: $325

Polymer doll with stand: $250

SHERPA: ASNs
Tsering Norbu was named after the famous Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first Sherpa to climb Mt. Everest in 1953 with Sir Edmund Hillary. Tsering's father was on that expedition and it was a decisive moment in his life when he realized that a Nepali sherpa had reached the summit! Following in his father's footsteps he is a sherpa working on many of the expeditions in the Himalayas and is considered one of the "best". His dream is to reach the summit of
K-2. Tsering speaks six languages as well as his own: Nepali, Tibetan (he was educated in a Buddhist monastery), English, French, Italian and Japanese.

Carved wood doll with stand: $325

Polymer doll with stand: $250