ARDMORE, Okla. – An award-winning artist looks to his immediate family and ancient ancestors to craft weapons almost indistinguishable from how they would have been made centuries ago.
Gary Maytubby, a Chickasaw citizen, is preparing for the 12th annual Artesian Arts Festival.
He will bring war clubs, stone hatchets, arrows, bows, neck knives and more to the show, all inspired by his research into traditional Chickasaw weaponry.
The prestigious First American art show will be conducted in Sulphur, Oklahoma, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 7. More than 100 First American artists representing many tribal nations will take part in the event.
Maytubby’s artistic journey began at age 7. His Chickasaw uncles would make bows and arrows, and Maytubby soaked up knowledge and techniques he would later use.
Raised in Virginia, Maytubby’s father, Benny, worked for the Pentagon, and the family made trips to Oklahoma every summer to visit family.
“My uncle Melvin made arrows out of a dogwood bush – not the tree, but the bushes growing along fence rows throughout southern Oklahoma. He taught me to pick the red branches because they are straight, strong and just right for crafting. His knowledge helped me tremendously.
“My uncle Byron would make bows from bois d’arc trees. I remember he would run a wire through the fruit of bois d’arc trees (commonly referred to as “horse apples”), string them between trees and that would be our target,” he said. “It was fun, and I learned a lot at the same time.”
He recalls his father manufacturing a tomahawk from a crabapple tree while in Virginia, and it is proudly displayed in his Ardmore home.
The family moved back to the Mill Creek area of the Chickasaw Nation in 1970 when Maytubby’s father retired. While approaching his teenage years, Maytubby’s interest in crafting weapons remained active, but with school and later a full-time job, he did not find the time to devote to it. Maytubby worked 40 years for Chickasaw Telephone Company before retiring in 2019.
“There was a lull of about 10 or so years. When I got back into it there was a strong desire to study and research how ancestral Chickasaws armed themselves for battle and also hunting to sustain the tribe,” Maytubby said.
The family has identified land in the Chickasaw Homeland in Mississippi that once belonged to his great-great-great-grandfather. On that land, flint-knapped arrowheads have been discovered, and photos of them were acquired by Maytubby through his cousin, Lee.
“The arrowheads were photographed with a quarter next to them so you could judge the size. They are about an inch long, triangular-shaped, and I call them a ‘Chickasaw point.’ After seeing this, I make all of my arrows with a Chickasaw point because I know it is authentic,” Maytubby said. “While I may not be the best flint knapper, I do my best to replicate how Chickasaws would have done it back in ancient times.”
While all genres of Maytubby-made weapons are available to art lovers and patrons, he specializes in making arrows, many with stone arrowhead tips.
“All of my arrows are made to be shot,” he said. “I don’t skimp around. I make them to be used.”
Maytubby is aware most people who purchase his arrows probably frame them for their beauty, exceptional craftsmanship and authentic Chickasaw technique. He recently has discovered a place he can harvest river cane – another material frequently used by Chickasaws to craft arrows.
“I remember my uncles telling me my grandfather would acquire sinew from the backstrap of hogs slaughtered in the fall. He would chew it to soften it and make it pliable. He made blunt arrows out of persimmon trees to hunt small game. I am going to make one of those and soon,” he said with enthusiasm.
His research of fletching arrows – applying feathers to the rear so the weapon flies straight and true – fascinates him. If only feathers from the right or left wing are placed on the arrow, it enhances its spin for greater accuracy.
“All of the Southeastern tribes knew this secret, I learned through research,” he said. “Fletching an arrow exclusively with right or left wing feathers improves everything and gives the hunter the best opportunity of success.
“In the 1980s, I was interested in making weapons and remember how my uncles and a group of guys I hung around with were making them. I would say I dabbled crafting weapons, but when I retired, I had time to go full-scale into my art. I was determined to research Chickasaw history, culture and tradition to make them as authentic as possible,” Maytubby said.
Maytubby will enter the juried competition of the Artesian Arts Festival with a war club he made.
Now that he has time and a desire to research ancient crafting, he found a workshop next to his home and spends time improving and developing his art while “staying out of my wife Rebecca’s hair,” he said with a laugh.
For more information about the Artesian Arts Festival, visit ArtesianArtsFestival.com.