Crafts

Explore Chickasaw Creative Traditions

From pottery and flute-making to weaving and beading, experience the rich heritage of crafting in the Chickasaw Nation. In the videos below, discover the creative traditions that have brought generations of Chickasaws together.

32 Items

Fine Gourd Art

S5 • E8
Chickasaw artist Donna Welch recounts her two-decade journey of crafting art from gourds.

Woven Mats

S4 • E3
Chickasaw weaver Kelley Lunsford appreciates the mathematical thinking and calming practice of creating reed mats.

Quilt Making

S3 • E10
Chickasaw quilter Peggy Immohotichey describes learning how to quilt by hand and working to keep the tradition alive.

Woodturning

S3 • E7
Chickasaw woodturner Vicki Somers describes the technical and spiritual dimensions of making discarded wood into art.

Turkey Calls

S3 • E5
Chickasaw master craftsman Wayne Edgar demonstrates the art of constructing and using traditional wild turkey calls.

Flint Knapping

S3 • E2
Chickasaw flint knapper Matthew Griffin's love of archaeology led him to start crafting his own stone tools using traditional methods.

Beaded Jewelry

S3 • E1
Artisan Melvin Burris, who makes baskets and jewelry, describes the passion behind his crafts.

Bow Making

S2 • E11
Elihu says that if it wasn't for the Chickasaws' prowess with the bow and arrow, it's likely they would've been conquered by European explorers.

Drum Making

S2 • E9
Since the beginning of the Chickasaws, drums and rattles were used in social dances.

Baskets

S2 • E4
Chickasaw artisan Susan Ledford says that basket weaving is one of the oldest known Native American crafts in existence.

Weaving

S2 • E2
Chickasaw weaver Cotie Lancaster demonstrates her process of creating woven belts and mats using various types of looms.

Shell Carving

S2 • E1
Dustin Mater is a Chickasaw citizen and accomplished artist in many different mediums, including shell carving.

Metalsmithing

S1 • E5
Eddie Postoak is a Chickasaw citizen and artisan who works with metal.

Stickball Sticks

S1 • E2
Chickasaw citizen Jesse Lindsey is a fifth-generation artisan of stickball sticks.

Pottery

S1 • E1
Chickasaw potter Dixie Brewer demonstrates the ancient art of handcrafting pinch pots, which have been used for hundreds of years.

Passing on Crafts to Family Members

Michael and Tim Cornelius
Michael Cornelius is a flute maker who specializes in crafting traditional Chickasaw flutes he constructs from river cane.

April 15, 2013 - Beading

Chickasaw Nation News
Tribal beading is a very important part of Chickasaw culture.

Putting Prayer Into My Pottery

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn shares a recent fond memory from SEASAM and describes her tradition of praying over her pottery.

Pottery: Drawn to Chickasaw History

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn was introduced to pottery as a college student at the University of Oklahoma.

Pottery: The Butterfly Design

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn shares one of her pots with a butterfly design.

Coil-Building Pottery: Ancestral Technique

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn explains that she learned the ancestral technique of coil-building pottery in college.

Research: Chickasaw Pottery, Ancient Designs

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn reflects on how she researched traditional Chickasaw pottery and ancient designs, materials and techniques.

Pottery: Experimenting With New Techniques

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn describes some of the techniques she uses to create her pottery.

Pottery: Evolving My Designs

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Chickasaw artist and potter Joanna Underwood Blackburn describes some of her favorite pottery designs.

How Flutes are Made

Michael Cornelius
Michael Cornelius describes how flutes are made.

Cultural Center Moccasin Demonstrators

Experience the Chickasaw Nation
Wear a symbol of Chickasaw Cultural Center experience.

Making a Flute

Michael Cornelius
For more than 20 years, Michael Cornelius has been making traditional Chickasaw flutes.

Artist Jeremy Wallace: Creation of Blow Guns

The Chickasaw Southeastern Art Show & Market
Chickasaw artist and musician Jeremy Wallace described how the art of his blowguns evolved and the history of their use.

Pottery: Evidence of Ancient Fabric

Margaret Roach Wheeler
Margaret Roach Wheeler says that evidence of ancient Chickasaw fibers and fabric have been found in pottery excavated from mound sites.

Chickasaw Pottery at Tupelo Archaeological Site

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn describes her visit to the Tupelo, Mississippi, archaeological site where Chickasaw pottery was being excavated.

Reviving Southeastern Pottery Design

Joanna Underwood Blackburn
Joanna Underwood Blackburn shares a story about meeting other artists who are also reviving the pottery designs of the southeastern tribes.

When the Animals Spoke: Woodpecker and the Flute

Michael Cornelius
Chickasaw culture keeper and flute-player Michael Cornelius tells the well-loved story about how the flute came to the Chickasaw people.