Proud to Be Chickasaw: Elders of the Chickasaw Nation

In August 2004, Mike Larsen approached Chickasaw Nation leaders with an idea to interview Chickasaw elders---living sages of his own tribe. He wanted to learn about their families and to hear their stories. He wanted to connect with their Chickasaw strength and spirit. Larsen's vision was to create a series of living elders paintings.

Accompanied by his wife and photographer, Martha, the artist began not only a process for painting the series, but also a personal journey. During the interviews, the Larsens often found themselves treated like members of the family. The elders' warm acceptance made them at home as they listened and learned what it means to be Chickasaw, and why it is something to be proud of.

Following the acclaimed, award-winning They Know Who They are (Chickasaw Press, 2008), Proud to Be Chickasaw, the second book in the Chickasaw elders series, again combines twenty-three of Mike Larsen's expressive portraits with narratives carefully recorded and written by Martha Larsen and Jeannie Barbour. The result is a sensitive and important record of Chickasaw beliefs, experience, history and pride.

Mike and Martha Larsen Chickasaw artist and sculptor Mike Larsen grew up in farming communities in Oklahoma and Texas. He studied traditional art disciplines at Amarillo Junior College, the University of Houston and the Art Students League in New York City. His award-winning works, from personal portraits to historical murals and larger-than-life sculptures, are displayed nationwide, especially in Oklahoma. In December 2006, he was named "Oklahoma of the Year" by Oklahoma Today, the state's official magazine.

Martha Larsen grew up in small towns in Kansas and Oklahoma, and demonstrated an aptitude for art in high school. While running her own art frame business, she met artist Mike Larsen. The rest is history. She handles the business affairs of Larsen Studios, is a talented photographer and a gifted writer.
Jeannie Barbour Jeannie Barbour is a Chickasaw historian, artist and author, and an outspoken advocate for Native American issues, especially concerning protection of Southeastern tribal history, culture, art, and sacred sites and artifacts. Her beautiful, award-winning illustrations have been featured in art exhibitions and publications throughout the United States. She was a co-author of Chickasaw: Unconquered and Unconquerable in 2006, which placed as a finalist in the design and illustration category of the Oklahoma Book Awards, and won the Gold Medal in the Multicultural Non-Fiction Adult category of the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards.