Ornate and elaborate, the Lisaw costumes reflect their philosophy - ""I, or mine, is and always will be number one."" An extravagant show of color in attire and jewelry characterizes the dress code of the Lisaw, so superbly recreated for this doll by Suwit Suthantha. This Lisaw girl will enthrall the admirer and collector of regional dolls. The Lisu, or Lisaw, are found at 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 attires in the pursuit of being number one, and when they dress up of their New Year celebration, the amount of jewelry they wear can weigh up to four pounds! Suthamtha made a number of trials before achieving the handcrafted perfection that characterizes his work and that of the artisans that collaborate with him. ""I begin by molding the shape of the head, arms and legs in clay, and kiln the pieces at 1472�F. I then paint in the skin as well as the facial features. I use wire for the body, and shape it into a human posture, I wrap it with raw cloth and use kapok seeds for stuffing. I attach the ceramic limbs and face so that they may move. Then, women working at my workshop sew their clothes, I teach them how as well as about the different hill tribe costumes. Finally, I add jewelry items made of aluminum and zinc to authenticate what I see in real life.""