Please join the Textile Society of America on November 1, 2022, for our fourth session in the (re)claiming futures colloquium series.
November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and offers an opportune time to educate the public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced, both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. It is also a time to celebrate diverse cultures, traditions, languages, arts, stories, and histories, and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Island communities to ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation.
As we collectively welcome American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, fifth-generation Diné (Navajo) master weavers Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete will share (re)claiming our past, present and future by writing, telling and living our own stories. Born into the Tábąąhá (Water Edge Clan) and born for the Tó’aheedlíinii (Two Waters Flow Together Clan), the sisters grew up at the fabled Two Grey Hills trading post. For over seven generations, their family has produced award-winning rugs in the traditional Two Grey Hills regional style. Upholding the family legacy, Teller Ornelas and Teller Pete are considered among the very most skillful and artistic of Diné weavers practicing today and for this presentation Barbara and Lynda will share the experience and legacy of their weaving family. As described by Teller Pete, “weaving represents our connection to the universe. It is our stories, our prayers, and our songs that are told, chanted, sung, and preserved in the weaving motions. Every weaver has stories to tell about his or her weaving, and every weaving has stories to tell about the weaver: the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the signature styles. And each weaver is unique. Unlike our elder Navajo weavers, people will know our names; they will see our faces, know our stories, and they will hear our songs and our prayers on each tapestry that we create.”
Image Credit: Joe Coca of Thrum Books
Barbara Jean Teller Ornelas is a fifth-generation Master Navajo Weaver and culture bearer. Her father, Sam Teller (1918–2000), was a Diné trader for thirty-two years, and her mother, Ruth Teller (1928–2014), was a weaver, gardener, quilter, and photographer. When Teller Ornelas was ten, her paternal grandmother dreamt that her granddaughter would become a great weaver who shared their traditions around the world. Fifty-six years later, Teller Ornelas has not only honed her artistry as a Two Grey Hills weaver but shared it with audiences internationally in the form of workshops, lectures, and exhibitions.
Lynda Teller Pete is Director of Equity and Inclusion of the Textile Society of America. Instilled in her work from the age of six, when Lynda was officially introduced to weaving, is the belief that beauty and harmony should be woven into every rug. Along with her weaving Lynda collaborates with fiber art centers, museums, universities, fiber guilds and other art venues to educate the public about Navajo history and the preservation of Navajo weaving traditions. Together, Lynda and her sister Barbara wrote Spider Woman’s Children, Navajo Weavers Today in 2018. This book is the first book written about Navajo weavers by Navajo weavers since the time of Spanish and colonial contacts.
This series is generously supported by the Lenore G.Tawney Foundation as part of their ongoing commitment to ensure access to critical voices of the textile community.
A recording will be available to everyone who registers for 7 days after the event for later viewing.
