Billy Bacon
Meet "Billy Bacon," a doll from Eagle, Alaska made by the Hankutchin Athabascan or Han people. They made the doll in the image of an indigenous woman in native clothing standing at 14 1/2 feet tall. The figure has shoulder fringes of leather, a loose leather or thong belt, and leather ties at the neck and ankles. The hide likely comes from moose or caribou, both necessary traditional resources. Interestingly, the name "Billy Bacon" comes from the smoky smell of the doll, the smell likely comes from the treatment of the original hide into leather. During the long tanning process of making leather, you have to smoke the hide to make it more durable and waterproof.
The doll was given to Ruth Weinman Herndon by her father when she was 3 years old. Accompanying the doll is a photo postcard from her father, dated Aug 28, 8 p.m. 1910, Eagle, AK. It reads, "Dear Ruth, this is a picture of the Indians at their village near Eagle. This is the place I got that Indian doll and those little moccasins for you. One little Indian baby cried for the doll when I bought it from the old man. M.G."
The Han people roamed central-western Yukon and eastern Alaska for many thousands of years. Their name, "Han," is a native word for "people of the river." They migrated seasonally by the Yukon River to follow the natural food sources of salmon and caribou. In the winter months, they camped further inland to focus on hunting, while in the summer months, they lived by the river to fish. Compared to other Yukon tribes, they had a more sedentary life. Actually, they developed a permeant house structure when they weren't traveling. Their first contact with Europeans came in the late 1700s and 1840s; however, the Gold Rush caused the white population to surge with consequences to the native population. The Canadian government established a reserve called Moosehide under the leadership of Chief Isaac. It was established up the river from Dawson City in 1902 to help preserve the Han culture. The other significant populations of the Han people settled in Yukon and Eagle, Alaska. The Native Village of Eagle, where Ruth Weinman's father likely bought the doll, is three miles east of Eagle. The early village was locally known as "Johnny's" because of their chief named John.
Blog by Jazlyn Sanderson
References:
AAA Native Arts. “Hän Indians.“ Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.aaanativearts.com/native-american-tribes-by-region/sub-arctic-tribes/athabascan-indians/han-indians
Alaskan Natives. “Native Village of Eagle.” Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.alaskan-natives.com/685/native-village-eagle/
Wenger, Jason, Tricia Brown. “The Han Athabascans.” Accessed September 17, 2020. http://www.litsitealaska.org/index.cfm?section=Digital-Archives&page=People-of-the-North&cat=Native-Peoples&viewpost=2&ContentId=2651
Yukon First Nations Travel Adventures. “Tr’ondek Hwech’in.“ Accessed September 17, 2020. https://www.yfnta.org/community_profiles/trondekhwechin.htm
Many tribes all across North America have used, and some continue using, cradleboards to carry their children at very young ages. Here at The Museum of Native American History, we have two great examples of cradleboards reaching from sea to shining sea. A Mohawk cradleboard dating to the late 1800s and a Paiute cradleboard dating to around the same time. While different, they offer the same amount of comfort and protection to a newborn child while giving their mother a range of motion to carry on with her day.