Kaya (1764)
Kaya is the eighth doll to be added to the American Girl company's historical doll line. She has deep brown eyes that open and close, and long straight black hair. Unlike the other American Girl dolls, her smile shows no teeth because she represents the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans, who consider showing their teeth offensive. The Kaya doll has a soft cloth body, with vinyl limbs and head. Her arms and legs have strong ball joints that make them posable, and her head can turn from side to side. Her name is short for Kaya'aton'my, which means "she who arranges rocks" in the Nez Perce language. She wears a faux deerskin dress with long fringe and blue and white beads, as well as moccasins, a belt, and hair ties made from leather and real shells. Her accessory set has a colorful woven bag, a pouch to carry on her belt, and a porcupine-quill necklace.
You can find beautiful outfits and accessories for Kaya as well, to enhance playtime or make a pretty display. One of other outfits include her Adorned Deerskin Dress for special occasions, which is trimmed with faux porcupine quills, beads, and elk's teeth. There's also the white embroidered Pow-Wow Dress of Today, which is like a dress that a modern Nez Perce girl would wear to a pow-wow. It comes with a beaded choker and embroidered moccasins that match the patterns on the dress. Kaya's accessories include items like a beautiful faux leather saddle, a baby doll with its own cradleboard, and something special that no other American Girl doll has: her own tepee! These items were carefully made by the American Girl company after consulting with people of the Nez Perce tribe to ensure authenticity. Kaya also has several pets: two horses, Steps High and Sparks Flying, and a dog named Tatlo.
Read All About Kaya
You can find out more about Kaya's life and adventures in her six-book series, as well as several short-story length books and even a special mystery story! Kaya is called "the first American Girl", because her story is the earliest one in the historical collection, long before the land where she lived was even part of America as a country. She is an adventurous girl growing up in the Northwest Territory on the West Coast. Kaya must learn to practice the values of her culture, such as putting others ahead of herself and helping to take care of her family. She also learns how to earn back her people's trust after making a big mistake, and even manages to escape slavery when she is kidnapped! There is a "Looking Back" section at the end of each book, with real-life details of how the Nez Perce people lived in historical times and also today.
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