Messengers

Rhonda Holy Bear, artist

Cultural affiliations: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (enrolled citizen)

born 1959, active 1977–present

Messengers, 1985

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: braiding; dyeing; buckskin; leather; chicken feathers; beading; cotton; paint; hair; nickel silver

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 46 x 22 x 10 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 18 1/8 x 8 11/16 x 3 15/16 in

Credit line: Gift of the Frank C. Sabatini Family

Accession number: 2022.0007

Not on display

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Comparing Mattel’s mass-produced Native American Barbies with the hand-crafted dolls by Rhonda Holy Bear, it is clear which version accurately depicts Native American culture and traditions. However, Holy Bear’s dolls are not meant to be children’s toys. Affordable dolls that represent various cultures can be exciting when created in collaboration with people from those cultures. But American Indians, like any group, are not monolithic, and have varying opinions about their representation in popular culture.