Sonwai, Verma Nequatewa, Hopi Pueblo Jewelry

Verma Nequatewa was born in 1949 in the village of Hotevilla on the Hopi Pueblo Reservation in Arizona. She signs her jewelry with the name Sonwai, the Hopi feminine word for beauty.

Verma Nequatewa, Sonwai, is the niece of renowned Hopi Pueblo jeweler Charles Loloma. When Sonwai was in high school, Charles Loloma returned to Hotevilla in 1966, and she became interested in helping him with his work. She apprenticed with him for many years. After Loloma's death 1991, Sonwai opened her own studio and has been continuing his teaching through her own jewelry.

Relative Links: Hopi Pueblo, Charles Loloma, Southwest Indian Jewelry