MARIA ROSE SIKYEA is a Dené Artisan living in the Yukon, situated on the traditional territories of the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation . Maria is most recognized for her caribou hair tufting, being one of intricacy and deep in colour variations. She advocates towards reconciliation and re-matriating her family's artistic traditions, aiming to depict a glimpse into the mastery of her Dene peoples, while exploring the influential traditional history of her family matriarchs. Her goal is to keep her Indigenous ways thriving, being a breath of her Dene ancestors' hard work while aiming to bring a positive influence into today's modern world. Maria is a multi-disciplinary artist with her tactile art practices, traditional explorations and cultural deliverance.

Maria has a diverse arts education. She attended New World School of Art in Miami, Florida for high school and later attended Indigenous Art Studies at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton. She has shown her art in various publications and art exhibits across Canada and beyond. Her current focus is working on a home-tanned hide clothing collection focusing on her Dene ancestors’ embellishment traditions.