Jesse T. Hummingbird

Jesse Hummingbird (1952-2021) was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and was a member of the Cherokee Nation. He became a full-time artist in the early 1980s, using a traditional “flat-style” that was made famous by earlier Native Oklahoma artists. In 2015, Jesse was named a Tribal Elder by the Cherokee Nation, and in 2017, a National Treasure, an honor given by the tribe to those who are helping to keep Cherokee art and culture alive.