OKLAHOMA CITY — An iconic chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, inspired countless Native American children as a powerful yet unassuming leader who expanded early childhood education and health care in rural areas.
Her reach is now expanding to include a quintessentially American honor: a Barbie doll in the likeness of the late Mankiller, as part of toymaker Mattel's “Inspiring Women” series.
A public ceremony honoring Mankiller's legacy will take place Tuesday in Tahlequah in northeastern Oklahoma, where the Cherokee Nation is headquartered.
Mankiller was the country's first female chief and led the tribe for ten years until 1995. She focused on improving social conditions through consensus and restoring pride in indigenous heritage. She met three U.S. presidents and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
She also responded to snide comments about her surname — a military title — with humor, often delivering a direct response: “Mankiller is actually a well-deserved nickname.” She died in 2010.
The tribe's current leader, Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., applauded Mattel for memorializing Mankiller.
“When Indigenous girls see it, they can achieve it, and Wilma Mankiller has shown countless young women to be fearless and stand up for Indigenous and human rights,” Hoskin said in a statement. “Wilma Mankiller is a champion for the Cherokee Nation, for Indian Country, and even for my own daughter.”
Mankiller, whose likeness is featured in a 2021 U.S. quarterly issue, is the second Native American woman to be honored with a Barbie doll. Famed aviator Bessie Coleman, who was of Black and Cherokee descent, was pictured earlier this year.
Other dolls in the series include Maya Angelou, Ida B. Wells, Jane Goodall and Madam CJ Walker.
The rollout of the Barbie doll featuring Mankiller wearing a ribbon skirt, black shoes and a woven basket has sparked conflicting reactions.
Many say the doll is a fitting tribute to a remarkable leader who faced conflict head-on and helped the tribe triple enrollment, double employment and establish new health centers and children's programs.
Still, some Cherokee women are critical, saying Mattel overlooked problematic details about the doll and packaging.
“Mixed emotions shared by me and many other Cherokee women who have now purchased the product revolve around whether a Wilma Barbie will honor her legacy, her physical attributes and the importance of putting Cherokee women at the center of decision-making ,” said Stacy Leeds, dean of the law school. Arizona State University and a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice told The Associated Press in an email.
Regina Thompson, a Cherokee basket weaver who grew up near Tahlequah, says the doll doesn't look like Mankiller. Mattel should have considered traditional pleated moccasins, instead of black shoes, and put symbols on the basket that Cherokees use to tell a story, she said.
“Wilma's name is the only Cherokee on that box,” Thompson said. 'Nothing about that doll is Wilma, nothing.'
The Cherokee language symbols on the packaging are also incorrect, she noted. Two symbols look similar, and the symbol used translates to 'Chicken' instead of 'Cherokee'.
Mattel spokesman Devin Tucker said the company is aware of the syllabary issue and is “discussing options.” The company worked with Mankiller's estate, which is led by her husband, Charlie Soap, and her friend, Kristina Kiehl, on the doll's creation. Soap and Kiehl did not respond to messages left by the AP.
Mattel did not consult with the Cherokee Nation about the doll.
“Unfortunately, Mattel did not work directly with the tribal government's design and communications team to secure or verify the official seal,” the tribe said in a statement. “The misprint itself does not diminish what it means for the Cherokee people to see this tribute to Wilma and who she was and what she stood for.”
Several Cherokees also criticized Mattel for not consulting with Mankiller's only surviving child, Felicia Olaya, who said she was not aware of the doll until about a week before the doll's public launch.
“I have no problems with the doll. I have no problem honoring my mother in different ways,” said Olaya, who acknowledged that she and Soap, her stepfather, are estranged. “The problem is that no one informed me, no one told me. I didn't know it was coming.”
Olaya also wonders how her mother would feel if she were honored with a Barbie doll.
“I heard her say on the phone once, 'I'm not Princess Diana, and I'm not Barbie,'” Olaya recalled. “I think she probably would have been a little conflicted about that because my mother was very modest. She wasn't the type of person who had her honorary degrees or awards written all over the wall. They were in tubs in her pole barn.”
“I'm not sure how she would feel about this,” Olaya said.
Still, Olaya said she hopes to buy some dolls for her grandchildren and is always grateful when people learn more about her mother's legacy.
“It makes me feel warm to think of my granddaughters playing with a Wilma Mankiller Barbie,” she said.