Hamatsa Drum depicting Thunderbird, c. 2000
by Trevor Hunt, Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation
red cedar, cedar bark rope, pigment
26" diameter x 3" deep
Special Feature: The handle for the drum is a Hamatsa skull representing the souls captured by the Cannibal Birds of the Hamatsa Legend.
*This drum is sold AS IS. There is a crack in the hide in the lower left area of the drum at the rim.
Hamatsa is the name of a Kwakwaka'wakw Secret Society. Central to the Hamatsa ceremonies is the story of some brothers who became lost while on a hunting trip and found a strange house with red smoke emanating from its roof. When they visited the house they found its owner gone, but one of the house posts was a living woman with her legs rooted into the floor, and she warned them about the frightful owner of the house, who was named Baxbaxwalanuksiwe, a man-eating giant with four terrible man-eating birds for his companions (including Gwaxwgwakwalanuksiwe'/man-eating raven; Galuxwadzuwus/ Crooked-Beak of Heaven; and Huxhukw/supernatural crane who collect the skulls of men. This drum tells the audience that the drummer is a member of the Hamtsa and his crest is Thunderbird.
As a promising young artist at the age of 13, Trevor Hunt painstakingly learned the art of traditional form line design from his father, Stanley Clifford Hunt, and cousins, Tim Alfred and David Knox. Soon after, he began to sell his original paintings in Victoria, BC. Deciding he had mastered the art of painting and drawing, Trevor began to learn to carve.
Trevor prides himself on carving in the traditional form, while using his own style, which gives his work a unique interpretation and highly professional touch.
In 2010, in collaboration with his father, brother Jason, and cousins, Mervyn Child and Calvin Hunt, Trevor carved a massive 52ft totem pole his father was commissioned to undertake. This prestigious totem pole is now the center piece of Canada Square in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Trevor has traveled widely across North America undertaking art exhibitions and performing carving demonstrations. Destinations have included Friday Harbor and Seattle, Washington and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. He regularly receives commissions for his work including European customers in Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Teaching the youth to carve and passing on his knowledge is very important to Trevor, so he takes time out to teach the children at the Wagulis School in Fort Rupert, as well as Fort Rupert Elementary. In 2011, he was asked to donate a drum design , which the school has adopted as their new logo.
Balancing life between his wife, four children, and his carving profession, has proved a great way for Trevor to spend his time, as it has been all about doing things that he loves and are close to his heart.
