As a girl, Valerie learned the art of making the polychrome style of traditional pottery in the Hopi community of Polacca, referred to as First Mesa. As a young girl at the age of 12, she learned the art of traditional polychrome pottery from her late grandmother, Carol Namoki, and carving techniques from her deceased father, Virgil Namoki. Incorporating the coiling method and carving into her sculpturing, she branched out into creating pottery katsinas when she was in her late 20's. 

 

Now she is teaching her two youngest children, Randall and Keeley, the traditional ways.

 

"As I build my Kachinas in clay, I am also teaching my children their meaning, and telling the stories of my childhood in Polocca. As we work together as a family, I see a new style evolving that reflects happiness in a whimsical way."