Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 for her advocacy work supporting Native Americans, women and children. carries a woven basket and is styled in a turquoise cloth dress with ribbon striping that represents north, south, east and west. The Wilma Mankiller Barbie doll wears a richly pigmented turquoise dress with ribbon striping that represents north, south, east and west.
“When Native girls see it, they can achieve it, and Wilma Mankiller has shown countless young women to be fearless and speak up for Indigenous and Human rights," Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a statement."She not only served in a role dominated by men during a time that tribal nations were suppressed, but she led."Wilma Mankiller became one of the most visible Native American leaders during her 10 years as chief of the Cherokee Nation. She died in 2010.