Barbara Teller Ornelas

Barbara Teller Ornelas, a fifth-generation Diné weaver, wove this Barbie doll’s biil (rug dress) and asdzáán bi beeldléí (woman’s manta). She also made the ké ntsaaí (long female-style moccasins), tsiiyéeł (wool hair tie), and ílį́įgo naalyéhé (jewelry).

Mattel released the Princess of the Navajo Barbie in 2004, dressing the doll in a velveteen blouse and cotton skirt. When Diné were imprisoned by the US government at Bosque Redondo from 1864 to 1868, Diné women more commonly wore clothing made from machine-made fabric. In her artistic practice, Teller Ornelas advocates for wool Diné fashion. She wove Diné Barbie’s clothing to “make her look better and dress better.”