Wa'tkwanonwera:ton / Greetings Leith Mahkewa is a member of the Oneida First Nation of the Thames. She currently lives in the Kanien'kahá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake with her husband and four children. She has been creating beadwork for over 16 years. She tends to create pieces mainly in the Iroquois raised beadwork style and is moving towards incorporating more Hopi imagery into her creation to honour her father's family.
In the past 7 years she has been awarded ribbons at both: the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market (2013, 2014, 2020) and the SWAIA Santa Fe Indina Market (2014, 2019). She has exhibited at the Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Langauge & Cultural Center (Kahnawake, QC) and the Woodland Cultural Center (Brantford, ON). Recently her beaded mask titled "I am protecting you from me" has been featured in the First American Art Magazine No. 27 Summer 2020 and that mask has been acquired by the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art for their permanent collection.
Leith believes that bead work transcends the generations. The patterns and styles created by our ancestors continue to thrive at the hands of current artists who are committed to maintaining the authenticity and appreciation of this art form. With that in mind she feels that it she responsibility to foster and encourage the next generation of artists.