Hummingbird, Jesse: - Jesse Hummingbird, a Cherokee Nation citizen and award-winning illustrator, was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, but spent most of his childhood in the deep South. He focuses on Cherokee and American Indian themes in his bright and colorful paintings. Jesse was selected by the Cherokee Nation as a Cherokee National Living Treasure. Michelle Sisneros is a contemporary artist of Santa Clara, Navajo and Laguna descent. She not only paints, but creates pottery, clothing, and jewelry. The subjects of her paintings are drawn from traditional Native American themes and include Pueblo women. She says, "I paint now from my soul. The images I paint are from the people who touch my life in a profound way and the Mother Earth I live on."