Native Spotlight: Jessica Jonkman
For Jessica Jonkman, being a creator has always been a way of life. Growing up on the Navajo reservation with her extended family (which happens to include younger sister, Jen Berg, founder and creative director of Native Knitter) meant art, nature, and family have always intertwined. The oldest of three children, Jessica loved caring for the family’s animals and being in the fresh air on the family’s land near the Arizona-New Mexico border. She grew up helping in the family business—a store that’s stood for generations, providing the community and international travelers alike with high quality, authentically Navajo-made artwork and jewelry, among other things.
She left her family home for college at the University of New Mexico where she studied history and art. After working as a teacher, Jessica started her family with husband Brian (her high school sweetheart!) who works in data analytics. Now, she’s a stay at home mom to three children—August, age 10, JD, age 8 and Eliza, age 6. While Jessica has continued to make jewelry for her family business, it wasn’t until her daughter Eliza was born that she began to see silversmithing as a career. Eliza was born with Down Syndrome and many other medical complexities and requires more care than a typical 6 year old. “I can do my primary job of ‘stay at home mom,’ and caretaker to my family, but designing and crafting jewelry allows me to be creative, to work for myself and my sister and family. It allows me to continue a legacy of Navajo craftsmanship and silversmithing while still being available for the needs of my family.”
Jessica says she’s inspired by nature and traditional Navajo and Native American designs but now that she lives in Albuquerque, she’s also influenced by modern, minimalistic designs. “I want to produce jewelry that’s authentically made by a Navajo artist. I’ve seen people creating and using the exact designs that weren’t made by Navajos and passing it off as their own. I feel like this part of our culture is becoming a lost art, but at the same time, there’s becoming a resurgence and refreshment of a pride in our native heritage and wanting to educate others about our existence. We’re not a legend. We’re American people that live here just as others do. There was a period of imposed assimilation where many Indigenous people were not allowed to carry our traditions with pride and now there’s a period of renewal in a different way. I’d hope in America now there’s more of an honoring of people’s heritage and people’s differences.”
The future of Jessica’s work will be inspired by specific sets of stones, and done with small batches that make up cohesive collections. She’s truly carrying on a family tradition in a tangible way. “I got almost all of the tools and the equipment from my grandfather who passed away 25 years ago. I have his stamps, his tank and torch. He knew all the techniques and made jewelry. If he would’ve lived longer I would’ve learned from him. Some pieces he had started long ago, and now I’m finishing them for him.”
Her collaboration with Native Knitter began organically—as most things between sisters do. “Jen is my sister so we work well together. We’re very different and have personalities and strengths that complement each other. I love spending time with her, and I think we have different design eyes that help us grow as artists. I’m more practical and she’s more entrepreneurial and creative—she comes up with an idea and I help her figure out how to implement it.”
While she’s taken classes and learned from family, she wants to continue refining her process and her craft. “I want to be able to go into the older silversmiths' studios and watch them work and learn from them. When Covid is over I hope to do that. I want to carry forward what my people have been doing for so long. I want to enjoy the process of learning and growing alongside others, collaborating with other designers and companies. For me, this is just the beginning.”
