Nan Inchuwa

Halito! Two years ago a wonderful opportunity presented itself to create a coloring book. This

coloring book is the coloring book that is in front of you. “Nan Inchuwa” was created by Choctaw

artists Dr. Deana Ward and Lauren Williams. Deana and Lauren are a mother-daughter team whose

work draws upon their love of their Choctaw culture. Both ladies make their home on the Choctaw

reservation of Oklahoma. Both ladies are active in their community and participate in Choctaw

cultural activities. Deana is a beadworker and works in mental health. Lauren is a beadworker and

graphic artist.

“Nan Inchuwa” is a coloring and activity book developed for all ages. Some of the pages ask you to

develop your own art. Some of the pages make no sense as they are purely abstract in nature. You

will identify traditional and contemporary iconography within these pages. Many surprises

developed as we collaborated in the creative process. We had a lot of fun working on this coloring

book together. Making a book can be fun and scary. We believe this effort made our relationship

stronger. The hope is you too will continue to create your own artwork and celebrate Indigenous

culture along with us. The artists would like to thank Builders and Backers, Joseph’s Ministry, and Mrs. Teri Billy for all their kind help. Yakoke!