Paddle depicting Killer Whale and Raven
By Tim Alfred, Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation
yellow cedar, pigment
59” height, 5” width, 1” depth
Tim Alfred was born in 1967 in Alert Bay, located along British Columbia’s central coast. In 1985, he moved further north to the village of Fort Rupert, just a short distance from Alert Bay. His family tree is a mixture of several bands including Kwakwaka’wakw (Fort Rupert), Namgis (Alert Bay), Mumtagila (Etsekin and area), Mamleleqala (Village Island), and Tlowitsis (Turnour Island).
During a memorial potlatch for his brother in 1989, his mother’s family at the Big House in Alert Bay placed him in the family’s Chief position. There he received the name “Mus-cum-tsi” symbolizing the four clans of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. Over the years, Tim has donated many of his ceremonial pieces for use by various families at their Big House potlatches.
At the young age of 20, Tim began to carve in the world-renowned Kwakwaka’wakw style. Although Stanley Hunt mainly taught him, Wayne Alfred, Beau Dick and Calvin Hunt also influenced him. As a young artist, he learned the techniques in carving bentwood boxes, masks, paddles, model canoes, planking from cedar trees and making regalia for traditional use in the Big House.
Some of his projects include drums and paddles made for the Fort Rupert Elementary School in 1998. His charity work involves memorial trophies and donations to various fund-raising events in the community, including the reconstruction auction to benefit work for Alert Bay’s Big House. Many galleries display his works, including museums in Alert Bay and Victoria’s Royal British Museum.
