Diona Jonevari (Suwarari)

Diona Jonevari’s mother was Delma Iarin of Gora village and her father was Abaho Gugonaymi of old Godibehi village (Ematé clan). When Diona married her husband, Nathaniel Jonevari, in 2002, she began to learn to paint the traditional Ömie designs of his mother Dapeni Jonevari (Mokokari), who was the Chief of Ematé clan women and a highly respected artist. Under Dapeni’s tutelage, Diona has become a respected artist in her own right. She incorporates sor’e (tattoo designs) and kuku hon’e sor’e (bamboo smoking pipe designs) taught to her by other elders of her clan such as her father-in-law, Emmanuel Jonevari (c.1920-2010), and Nathan Gama, Chief of Ematé clan men. With this strong foundation and as an astute student, Diona now draws from a wealth of traditional Ömie designs which she paints in her own innovative and expressive style. Her wealth of knowledge, extraordinary natural talent and skills, combined with her bold experimentation, firmly place her among the most significant Ömie artists and she is now leading a new generation of artists.

Copyright for the text remains with Ömie Artists Inc.

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