Barbara Jean Teller Ornelas
Navajo Weaving
Barbara Jean Teller Ornelas was born to the Tábaahá (Edge of Water
People—maternal clan) and born for Tó´aheedlíinii (Water That Flows Together
People—paternal clan) "in the vicinity of" (as her birth certificate states) Montrose, Colorado, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1954. Barbara comes from multiple generations of weavers that include her mother, Ruth Teller, and her grandmother, Susie Tom. Her aunt and uncle tend the family's flock of sheep and the wool is divided among family members. "I believe that sheep is life to my people. We need them to survive as Navajos and as family." Almost reverent when recalling family, clearly Barbara possesses the wonderful gift of laughter and humor as she recounts her arrival into the world. "My aunt Margaret Yazzie delivered me underneath a piñon tree. My husband would later label this day and me, 'the biggest nut that fell from the tree.' "
Barbara was raised at the Two Grey Hills Trading Post where her father, Sam K. Teller, her lifetime hero, was a trader for thirty-four years. Barbara proudly notes that it was her dad (who died last year) who guided her through her life's work. "From making my looms (eight total), to encouraging me to do my best, and counseling me on what traders look for in good weavings, he was a constant source of strength for me."
She writes, "various members of my family have shaped not only the way I weave, but also the values I've connected to my art." The genesis of her weaving was lessons from her paternal grandmother, Nellie Teller. "She was the first to envision my potential and taught me as much about family as she did about weaving." Barbara finished her first rug at the age of eight. "My mother, Ruth Teller, maternal grandmother, Susie Tom, aunts, Margaret Yazzie and Mary Louise Gould, my sisters, Rose Ann Teller Lee and Lynda Teller Pete, my daughter, Sierra Nizhonii Teller Ornelas, and my son, Michael Paul Teller Ornelas, have played important roles in my career as a professional weaver."
Husband David Teller Ornelas's tenacity and commitment to the creation and exposure of Barbara's tapestries has also had a profound effect on how her work is accepted by the public. Incredibly, a large 5' by 8'-10 1/2" (with 95-108 wefts per inch) Two Grey Hills-style tapestry woven by Barbara and her sister Rose Ann (now deceased) and characterized by writers as one that "left viewers gasping and judges awestruck," won Best of Show at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 1987. Selling for a record price of $60,000, the money helped put David through Pharmacy College at the University of Arizona.
Honored again in 1991, Barbara's independent entry won Best of Show at the Santa Fe Indian Market; but she would be the first to credit her family's influence and support. This year (2001) she won first prize at the Santa Fe Indian Market for her three chief-style blanket miniatures. Barbara sets goals and has high expectations for not only herself, but for the future of Navajo weaving. Eclectic in her tastes and style, she weaves rugs that incorporate the Two Grey Hills, Burntwater, and Ganado styles and colors. "For fun" she duplicates the historic chief-style and other miniature patterns; and as it turns out, it is award-winning fun!
Images: (Top) Portrait by
Mark Nohl
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