Sweewa

Born in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1944 to a Coast Salish mother and a German father, Sweewa spent the first years of his life on a float house on the Fraser River. At age 11, an unfortunate accident left Sweewa with one arm. During his time recuperating, he turned to Indigenous art and decided to leave home by age 15.

In 1963 Sweewa was accepted to the Vancouver School of Art where he studied commercial art and sculpture, later working as a professional architectural model builder and commercial artist.

Sweewa has carved wood and ivory, painted oils and water colour, made native drums and in 1996 he taught himself to engrave copper, silver, gold and platinum jewelry. He is most known for his jewelry works, many of which bear his signature in engraved script.