Lapita Frewin

My name is Lapita Keith Frewin. I am a full-blooded Navajo born on the Navajo reservation. I left home at the early age of nine to live with a main-stream American family to get a better educa- tion.   Returning home every summer, I was able to get the best of  both   worlds.   After  graduating   High   School  I   enrolled   in Brigham  Young  University  were  I  was  able  to  get  a  Bachelors Degree  in  Social  Work  and  a  minor  in  Native  American  Stud- ies.   I  currently  am  a  Social Worker  helping  families  of  all  cul- tures.
In my spare time I am to able to fulfill one of my passions in life by preserving not just my Navajo Culture, but all Native Ameri- can  Cultures.  I  saw  so  much  that  was  misunderstood  in  main- stream America that I decided to do as much as I could to con- nect that gap.
I love working with all ages.   Kids are great because they don’t know what is incorrect and I can enrich their young minds, and I love the teens and young adults because they are so eager to learn and I love working with adults because they appreciate and are  respectful  of  Native  Cultures.   I  am  predominately  a  bead- worker.   Many  museums  have  allowed  me  to  study  old  speci- mens and I have tried to recreate those pieces using authentic materials.  It  is  an  awesome  feeling  when  you  bring  something back to life knowing  where it  came from  and  knowing  you can share and preserve this way of life.
Since I work full-time I try to keep my artist in residence projects close by, I have more time in the summer where I have 6 weeks off.  I  am  open  to  anything  from  beadwork,  moccasins,  making drums to teaching language lessons through games.