During the time of Independence, the lialka-motanka (another name is the knotted doll) acquired a full-fledged revival, affirmation, and national identity, occupying a worthy place alongside such cultural phenomena as Opishnya ceramics or Petrykiv painting.Today in Ukraine, in the field of folk crafts, the largest percentage falls precisely on the development of the lialkamotanka. It is widely represented on the modern Ukrainian market (ethno festivals, fairs, exhibitions); master classes on winding lialkas are in demand; foreigners are interested in it: by buying it, they thereby popularize this unique type of Ukrainian folk art abroad.The article analyzes scientific research on the represented issues; the phenomenon of the lialka-motanka is considered through the prism of its iconic nature and special semiotic status inherent to it; the inextricable connection of the symbolism and sign language inherent in the Ukrainian lialka-motanka, with the specifics of the technological process of its manufacture and its construction, the peculiarity of the color scheme and the functions performed by it, is demonstrated.The purpose of the article is to study the lialka-motanka as an archetypal carrier of Ukrainian folk tradition.The Ukrainian lialka-motanka defines the identity of our people. Possessing a system of universal symbols (solar symbolism, cross, appropriate color palette, etc.) and performing a number of functions (charm, sacral-magical, etc.), which are reflected in the technological process of its manufacture, it is a means of activating the mechanisms of genetic memory and ethnic self-identification. Being an archetypal bearer of lialka-motanka, the lialka-motanka is one of the important determinants of self-awareness of ethnic identity and an expression of the identity of Ukrainian culture in the modern historical picture of the world; plays an important role in restoring the ethnic self-awareness of Ukrainians and has the potential to contribute to the preservation and understanding of the nation's multi-layered history and cultural values.