A new Barbie doll is ruffled some feathers.
The doll honoring Native American chief Wilma Mankiller sparked ridicule when it came with an embarrassing mistake on the box that said “Chicken” instead of “Cherokee.”
Regina Thompson, a Cherokee basket weaver, pointed out the error and explained how one of the Cherokee language symbols on the package translates to “Chicken” instead of “Cherokee.”
A representative for toy maker Mattel, which made the doll, said the company is “discussing options” in response to the error.
Matell worked with the Mankiller estate, led by her husband, Charlie Soap, and her friend, Kristina Kiehl, on the new doll, but did not consult with the Cherokee Nation about its creation.
“Unfortunately, the Mattel company did not work directly with the tribal government’s design and communications team to secure the official seal or verify it,” the tribe told the AP in a statement.
The doll with the image of the late chief of the indigenous tribe is part of its “Inspiring Women” series.
Mattel has botched the launch of a new Barbie doll honoring the late Native American chief Wilma Mankiller by using a symbol that misspells “Cherokee” as “Chicken.” Mattel The doll is part of Mattel’s “Inspiring Women” series. Mattel
“The printing error itself does not diminish what it means to the Cherokee people to see this tribute to Wilma and who she was and what she represented,” the tribe added.
Mankiller, who died in 2010 at age 64, was the country’s first female principal chief and led the Cherokee Nation for a decade until 1995.
The activist, who met with three U.S. presidents and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award, focused on improving social conditions and restoring pride in Native heritage.
She reacted to his bellicose last name with humor.
“Mankiller is actually a well-earned nickname,” the Oklahoma native is known to joke.
The tribe’s current leader, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., applauded Mattel for commemorating Mankiller.
“When Native girls see it, they can do it, and Wilma Mankiller has shown that countless young women are not afraid and stand up for human and indigenous rights,” Hoskin said in a statement.
The Barbie doll has received mixed reactions from members of the Cherokee Nation. Mattel
“Wilma Mankiller is a defender of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Country and even my own daughter,” she added.
However, the Barbie doll, which features her in a ribbon skirt, black shoes and a woven basket, has provoked mixed reactions.
While many say it is a fitting tribute, some Cherokee women criticized Mattel for overlooking important elements of the doll and its packaging.
“The mixed emotions shared by myself and many other Cherokee women who have now purchased the product revolve around whether a Wilma Barbie captures her heritage, her physical characteristics, and the importance of centering Cherokee women in decision-making,” Stacy Leeds, dean of Arizona State. she said in an email to the University’s law faculty and former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice.
Thompson doesn’t even think the doll looks like Mankiller and said the company should have used traditional moccasins instead of shoes and included symbols on the basket.
“Wilma’s name is the only Cherokee thing on that box,” Thompson said. “Nothing on that doll is Wilma, nothing.”
The doll features Mankiller wearing a ribbon skirt, black shoes and a woven basket. Mattel Wilma Mankiller was the country’s first female top boss. Corbis/VCG via Getty Images President Bill Clinton awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to Mankiller. AFP via Getty Images
Several Cherokees also criticized Mattel for not consulting with Mankiller’s only surviving daughter, Felicia Olaya.
“I don’t have any problem with the wrist. I have no problem honoring my mom in different ways,” said Olaya, who acknowledged that she and Soap, her stepfather, are estranged from her.
“The issue is that no one informed me, no one told me. “I didn’t know it was coming,” she said, adding that she wasn’t sure how her mother would have reacted to the doll.
“I’m not sure how she would feel about it,” Olaya said. “I once heard her say on the phone, ‘I’m not Princess Diana and I’m not Barbie.’ “I think she probably would have been a little conflicted about that, because my mom was very humble.”
And yet, she said she hopes to buy some Barbies for her grandchildren.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn