Loud is not a word usually associated with butterfly, but it inspired the winner of this year’s Butterfly Art Contest.
Maria Martinez, of Wayne, Oklahoma was deemed the winner for her creation.
“I just wanted things to be very loud, that's the word that inspired me,” said Maria.
“I wanted to include Chickasaw Nation symbols into my design. The bottom of the wings has the sun symbols and the spiral. I wanted to have brighter colors, because they're really bold, and I feel like it's a good representation of women.
“Purple, it's symbolic of femininity. Red is the symbol of courage, which is also important, and yellow represents hope. There's a serenity and gracefulness which reminds me of women specifically,” she said.
In addition, the design’s colors serve a dual purpose.
“The colors also tie in with the sun and spiral symbols, because the spirals were how we planted our food. The red also represents the red dirt of Oklahoma, the blues represent water and sky, and the yellow represents the sun.”
A bean design dotting the tips of the wings represents one of the three sisters, a traditional Chickasaw planting technique using corn, beans and squash, she said.
She sketched the design on her iPad then drew it on paper.
The Chickasaw Nation hosts the Butterfly Art Contest each year, where female Chickasaw citizens, ages 14 to 18, create unique butterfly art pieces for consideration to serve as the artwork for the annual Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference. This conference salutes the valuable contributions, talents and skills of Chickasaw women.
The winning butterfly design also represents the Chikasha Ihoo Empowerment Series, a quarterly event that highlights the accomplishments and perspectives of Chickasaw women. The first 2024 session will be conducted at 2 p.m., March 26, at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur, Oklahoma.
Maria has been creating art for most of her life, participating in the Chickasaw Arts Academy as a young student and perfecting her skills in traditional and Advanced Placement (AP) art courses at Norman (Oklahoma) High School.
She learned about her Chickasaw heritage and culture through the Chikasha Pehlichi Ikbi “Creating Chickasaw Leaders” program, as well as Toksali (to work) SMART (Successful Mindsets with Attitude and Readiness for Tomorrow) program, and wanted her butterfly design to reflect her culture. Maria’s winning design incorporated traditional Chickasaw designs and symbols.
Maria also draws inspiration from her Chickasaw mother, Tia Ross-Carter, who is her role model.
“She went back to school using the Chickasaw Nation’s School-to-Work program and was able to go to college to get her associate degree while also mothering three children. I look up to my mom because she's hardworking, and now she's a clinic supervisor in the Chickasaw Nation WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program. So, she has come a long way,” she said.
Maria, who graduated from Norman High School in 2023, plans to pursue an education in architectural engineering.
She looks forward to attending the Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference with her mother.
The Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference will take place May 30-31, 2024.Virtual and in-person attendance will be available for this year’s conference. Registration information and additional details will be available soon. Visit Chickasaw.net/DynamicWomen for information about the conference, the Chikasha Ihoo Empowerment Series and to rewatch last year’s event.
Loud is not a word usually associated with butterfly, but it inspired the winner of this year’s Butterfly Art Contest.
Maria Martinez, of Wayne, Oklahoma was deemed the winner for her creation.
“I just wanted things to be very loud, that's the word that inspired me,” said Maria.
“I wanted to include Chickasaw Nation symbols into my design. The bottom of the wings has the sun symbols and the spiral. I wanted to have brighter colors, because they're really bold, and I feel like it's a good representation of women.
“Purple, it's symbolic of femininity. Red is the symbol of courage, which is also important, and yellow represents hope. There's a serenity and gracefulness which reminds me of women specifically,” she said.
In addition, the design’s colors serve a dual purpose.
“The colors also tie in with the sun and spiral symbols, because the spirals were how we planted our food. The red also represents the red dirt of Oklahoma, the blues represent water and sky, and the yellow represents the sun.”
A bean design dotting the tips of the wings represents one of the three sisters, a traditional Chickasaw planting technique using corn, beans and squash, she said.
She sketched the design on her iPad then drew it on paper.
The Chickasaw Nation hosts the Butterfly Art Contest each year, where female Chickasaw citizens, ages 14 to 18, create unique butterfly art pieces for consideration to serve as the artwork for the annual Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference. This conference salutes the valuable contributions, talents and skills of Chickasaw women.
The winning butterfly design also represents the Chikasha Ihoo Empowerment Series, a quarterly event that highlights the accomplishments and perspectives of Chickasaw women. The first 2024 session will be conducted at 2 p.m., March 26, at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur, Oklahoma.
Maria has been creating art for most of her life, participating in the Chickasaw Arts Academy as a young student and perfecting her skills in traditional and Advanced Placement (AP) art courses at Norman (Oklahoma) High School.
She learned about her Chickasaw heritage and culture through the Chikasha Pehlichi Ikbi “Creating Chickasaw Leaders” program, as well as Toksali (to work) SMART (Successful Mindsets with Attitude and Readiness for Tomorrow) program, and wanted her butterfly design to reflect her culture. Maria’s winning design incorporated traditional Chickasaw designs and symbols.
Maria also draws inspiration from her Chickasaw mother, Tia Ross-Carter, who is her role model.
“She went back to school using the Chickasaw Nation’s School-to-Work program and was able to go to college to get her associate degree while also mothering three children. I look up to my mom because she's hardworking, and now she's a clinic supervisor in the Chickasaw Nation WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program. So, she has come a long way,” she said.
Maria, who graduated from Norman High School in 2023, plans to pursue an education in architectural engineering.
She looks forward to attending the Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference with her mother.
The Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference will take place May 30-31, 2024.Virtual and in-person attendance will be available for this year’s conference. Registration information and additional details will be available soon. Visit Chickasaw.net/DynamicWomen for information about the conference, the Chikasha Ihoo Empowerment Series and to rewatch last year’s event.