Hopi
”I belong to the Bear Clan of Shungopavi Village in Northern Arizona. My last name
was changed from Honwytewa in 2005 because I was given my adult name of
Lomaventema. It was given to me when I became initiated in Hopi Men’s Society.
The name is from the Corn/Water Clan of Shungopavi, my Godfather’s Clan. It refers
to the Lightning when it lights up the sky during a thunderstorm. I have seen the
Traditional Hopi Overlay technique of jewelry being made while I was growing up
by my father Jerry Honwytewa. I began producing the Traditional Hopi Overlay in
1987 after taking classes at the Hopi Co-Op Guild shop on Second Mesa. In 2001,
learned from fellow Hopi artists how to cast in Tufa, volcanic ash which is found here
on the Hopi Reservation. Now I produce jewelry with a combination of Overlay and
Tufa cast, also using turquoise and other natural stones in my jewelry.”

Gerald now has an International following after having attended and presented at the
Hopi & Zuni Artist Show in Japan for the past several years. The purpose of this
show is not only to show and sell authentic Hopi and Zuni arts; but also to educate
people about “Fake” or “Imitation” Native American arts and crafts in the global
market especially in Japan. Gerald says of the impact on counterfeit art, “the Hopi
Nation is a small tribe and more than half of the’ population is self-employed. They
make a living with their artwork. When we were learning the overlay technique the
older silversmiths would tell us we have to make jewelry with meaning. Imitation
and fake are hurting our economy.”

With this experience, Gerald is working to bring other Hopi Silversmiths together to
guide them in the “business and marketing” end of their craft.