If you’re like me.
(And you must be, or you wouldn’t be reading this stuff every week.)
Then you know the pleasures of a good junk.
- Junk (junk) – transitive verb: to forage, to seek out, to search for treasure in unlikely locations; thrift shops, antique malls, garage/yard sales and occasionally dumpsters and even piles of trash on the side of the road.
Guilty, of all of the above,
I have been finding these little celluloid Indians on junking excursions for years now.
I love the way that time has aged each one just slightly differently.
The Chief (Chief Soaring Eagle) is the easiest to find, and my favorite by far, but occasionally I will find a maiden….
….sometimes even with a pappoose (Suzi Starving Bear) .
The St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana used to give these toys out in the 50’s and 60’s to people making donations to the school. This Catholic school for Indians was founded in 1884 in Ashland, Montana. When former soldier George Yoakum realized that the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian people were left homeless because a reservation had not yet been established for them, he contacted Bishop John Brondel who immediately purchased land to establish the St Labre Indian School.
St Labre is the patron saint of the homeless.
The toy Indians weren’t the only gifts the school has offered, Through the years there were other toys – hatchets, mocassins, and pipes. There’s even been beaded items – jewelry, letter openers, and bookmarks, small blankets and plastic plaques like these,
This bright assortment has 2 little drums, a Kachina (that’s really a puzzle) and a small bowl.
The little drums are actually salt and pepper shakers,
How about these toy tepees?
Even this fish bone thermometer…..
Yeah, I had all this crap…I just didn’t realize that it was all related somehow.
You just never know what treasures a good “junk” will uncover.
I always pick these things up. No real purpose for them. I just can’t resist – especially if they are around a dollar.
I did frame a couple of the celluloid Indians in a shadow box.
Clever, clever….right?
The St Labre Indian School still offers gifts to donors. If you sign up for emails right now, they will send you a tote bag.
I suppose I could always use the tote bag, ……. to keep all this crap in.
HHmmmm,
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Love the tepees and the framed piece is awesome. I started collecting nun dolls a while back, Catholic school upbringing, collecting memories, just can’t help myself. NowI have to display them in my art room because no one else gets it. I have managed to stop adding. The ultimate test was a flea market baby doll dressed as a priest. I resisted but still think about the one that got away.
Happy collecting!
OK, I’m crazy about the idea of collecting Nun dolls, Very cool , and slightly creepy, at the same time!
me likey! i’m surprised I haven’t seen these over the years while flea marketing. I’ve never used a shadow box, how did you mount the objects inside?
I used a small amount of hot glue, if I ever change my mind, I hope it peels off.
Seriously, every time I read one of your posts I want to hug you. These are amazing. I’ve seen the salt and pepper shakers before but not sure I’ve seen the rest. Fabulous.
You are just the sweetest! Really glad that you get something out of my posts. It’s great just to have an audience to share my obsessions with.
🙂 I just miss the discovery so much. CA/NY have amazing fleas, while Seattle does not. I can’t really figure out why we don’t either. Probably fine since we downsized to 1400 sq ft, and I still probably have 1600 sq ft worth of stuff.
Hmm, I like these dolls, etc. I wonder if I could find any here in AZ? Going to keep a lookout for any of these pieces that I might stumble upon.
Try eBay and etsy , I know there are tons on both sites…… And not very expensive either.
Very cool collection. I love little things like these and framing the three, well it was the bomb!
P.S. I remember having the thermometer in our house.
Did you really? I wondered why they chose a fish bone…..there is also a Kachina/Totem Pole looking one, I don’t have that one………..yet
Hmmm, not sure why they did, but you did pique my curiosity over the totem pole as I’m thinking I might have one. I will have to dig through my things and see. I’ll get back to you on that.
I saw the S&P shakers tonight in a collectibles co-op. They wanted $12. Not too crazy I don’t think.
Not too crazy, bet if you look on eBay now you can find a set for under 5…..
I’ll have to keep that in mind when we get our imaginary cabin. Or you could put together an amazing western picnic basket. They’d be perfect.
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Found a thermometer at the flea market in Tulsa, Ok today for $1.00. Going to hanging it in my vintage travel trailer someday. Thanks for filling me in on where it came from!
Glad to be of some help Toni. I’ve been helping people with their junk/treasures for a few years now.
I recently came across the plastic figurines at an estate sale that I fell in love with so I didn’t research on the school and now I’m falling in love with the school!
We had the kachina doll, napkin holder, and salt shakers when I was a child in the 60’s
I lost track of them but just came across a napkin holder!