Wetalu Henry

Wetalu Henry, also known as ‘alíwtalaliktnacan’may, meaning ‘Winter Sunset’. She descends from the Nez Perce Nation, and she currently works from her original homelands of Lapwai, ID. There are various stages of growth as to why she first started learning how to bead and why she continues to bead today; at the beginning of her crafting journey, it was more of an expectation and now it’s simply become therapeutic healing for her and her children. Some of her fondest memories as a child are of her watching her Qaaca (maternal grandma) as she sparked inspiration in Wetalu to carry on family traditions. At 8-years-old, Wetalu successfully learned the loom beading technique. Her skill evolved into lazy stitch and straight stitch when she was 13-years old. In the year of 2011, she experimented with seaming small projects on and off but in the last 5-years, she has become consistent in tackling complex clothing attire and powwow regalia.