Cotton and ceramic doll, 'Lisu Belle'

Poised and beautiful, this young girl proudly represents the Lisu hill tribe. Suwit Suthamtha crafts the endearing doll faithful to the Lisu's traditional clothing. Dressed in cotton, the face and limbs are shaped of ceramic and features kapok seeds for filling. The Lisu, or Lisaw, live in areas 500 feet above sea level in northern Thailand, and their colorful dresses differ greatly from the Lisaw of China and Burma, who dress in black. Thailand's Lisu women are always embellishing their attire in the pursuit of being number one, and when they dress up their their New Year celebration, the amount of jewelry they wear can weigh up to four pounds!