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Gary Peterson

Gary Peterson is from the ‘Namgis First Nation and he was born and raised in ʼYa̱lis (Alert Bay), British Columbia. His father is Dale Peterson Sr. from the ‘Na̱mg̱is tribe and his mother is Dorothy nee Alfred, she is the eldest child of Chief Christopher Alfred Kwakiutl and Namgis Nations. Gary comes from high-ranking lineage on both sides of his family. His mother’s family the Hunts connects his bloodline to noble ancestry from Fort Rupert to Southern Tongass Island, Alaska. His father’s family are the Rufus and Harris, the two original families from ‘Namgis tribe. Gary has worked at Thunderbird Park in the carving studio at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria doing carving demonstrations and telling legends to tourists. Gary is a very capable artist who can demonstrate the traditional carving of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw as well as explaining the origins of the artwork and the legends of his people. Gary also enjoys creating music. He is presently writing and performing songs which have now taken him on a new path. With his new passion, Gary shows great promise and it now takes a great portion of his time. Although he spends more time on music, the creation of his artwork remains one of his greatest passions.