A portrait of Te Ata, also known as Mary Frances Thompson Fisher, was unveiled Feb. 8 at the Oklahoma State Capitol by Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby and U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a Chickasaw citizen.
Rep. Cole presented the portrait of the Chickasaw storyteller in memory of his late mother, Chickasaw citizen and Oklahoma state senator Helen Cole. Te Ata was Rep. Cole's great aunt.
Gov. Anoatubby said the ceremony marked a special day, not only for both the State of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation.
"Te Ata was a cultural icon for Chickasaws and all Native Americans cultures," Gov. Anoatubby said. "During her career, she actually shined a light on Chickasaw culture and on Native American culture throughout the United States and basically throughout the world."
Te Ata means "Bearer of the Dawn."
"She is an Oklahoma treasure and a Chickasaw treasure," said Gov. Anoatubby.
Te Ata achieved national and international acclaim as a storyteller, helping preserve Chickasaw tales as well as other Native stories.
She was recognized by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1958, and in 1987, she was named Oklahoma's first Cultural Treasure by Gov. Henry Bellmon and the Oklahoma Arts Council.
Rep. Cole said Te Ata was an inspiration for his late mother, the first Native American woman elected to the Oklahoma State Senate.
"This would probably be the proudest moment of her life, it really would, said Rep. Cole.
"Te Ata was the dominant influence in my mother's life. Te Ata showed mother how challenges could be overcome. You had to work hard, you had to prepare and handle yourself professionally, and if you did, the sky was the limit. Te Ata instilled those things in my mother, and helped keep our Native culture alive."
"Te Ata was really a light in our lives," said Jean Thompson, Te Ata's nephew, who attended the ceremony. "Its good that other people can recognize her as well.
"She tried to have a real Pan-Indian attitude, so it's appropriate that she'll be honored at Oklahoma's State Capitol, a state where so many tribes are represented."
Oklahoma State Rep. and Chickasaw citizen Lisa Johnson Billy grew up hearing Te Ata's stories from her mother.
"She did so much for us," Rep. Billy said. "She was a strong Chickasaw woman. I am overwhelmed and extremely honored. What a great day to be Chickasaw. I am very grateful."
Te Ata was born in the Chickasaw Nation near Tishomingo in 1895 and died in 1995, just a few days before her 100th birthday.
Retired teacher Carolyn (Hunt) Sparks got to know her great aunt Te Ata when she visited the family home in Sulphur, Okla.
"She would come to our house about once a year when she needed a break," Mrs. Sparks said. "Once, she wanted to learn to howl like a wolf, but after a while the coyotes started answering back."
Te Ata was respected, Mrs. Sparks said, by elders and leaders of many tribes throughout the world.
"She was a resource of Indian traditions and stories for a lot of tribes not just Chickasaw."
Mrs. Sparks said she thought the painting dedication was special because it honored not only Te Ata, but the artist Nellie Ellen Shepherd.
History of the Portrait
The portrait was actually an existing work, created by Nellie Ellen Shepherd, one of Oklahoma's earliest professional woman artists. In 1917, she was appointed director of the art department at the Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha, now known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Her portrait of Te Ata was created less than one year before her death in 1920.
The unfinished painting was displayed for many years at the Shepherd Manor and after restorative cleaning, will be placed on permanent display on the second floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol building to commemorate the state's first cultural treasure, Chickasaw Storyteller Te Ata.
