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Portrait of Storyteller Te Ata to be Unveiled

KSBI News

Story Created: Feb 8, 2010 at 1:42 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 8, 2010 at 6:46 PM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A portrait of traditional Native American storyteller Te Ata will be dedicated in the Oklahoma State Senate Chamber.

The portrait is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Cole and the Chickasaw Nation and is being unveiled Monday and placed on display inside the state Capitol.

Te Ata was born in the Chickasaw Nation near Tishomingo in 1895 and achieved national and international acclaim as a storyteller. She helped preserve tales from her own Chickasaw tribe as well as other Native stories.

She died in 1995.

She was recognized by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1958, and was named Oklahoma's first Cultural Treasure by Gov. Henry Bellmon and the Oklahoma Arts Council in 1987.