“I went to school but my Ömie teacher has always been my mother. She told me the stories of our history, taught me our songs and how to make gardens. Sometimes while we talked and sang she would paint our history.”

Helen is married to Morris Murray Rubuno. They, along with their five children, are members of the Ina’e clan. Helen began painting nioge (barkcloth) designs such as odunaige - thorned climbing vine; subudejö’e – caterpillar markings (design of the caterpillar’s black spots); jö’e soru’e – patterns of a woman’s facial tattoos. Her work has since evolved and she now paints a very beautiful, spirited design of dahoru’e, the Ömie mountains.

Copyright for the text remains with Ömie Artists Inc.

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