September 11, 2011 Recently the Hereditary Chief of the Haisla Nation, Derek Wilson, passed away leaving behind a legacy of incredible art works.

Born in 1950 in Kemano, Derek learned of his heritage and Haisla dialect from this elders and created his first cedar carving at 8 years old under the tutelage of his uncle Henry Robertson.  Decades later as he progressed his design skills as a self-taught artist, he transitioned into jewelry carving which became a lifelong devotion.

Featured on this web site are several jewelry pieces, which are currently available beginning here .

His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Anthropology, the Vancouver Centennial Museum and a 1967 museum collection in England. In 1981, one of his gold rings was gifted to Queen Elizabeth, and in 2000 he travelled to Sweden with his brother Barry and uncle Henry to raise a commissioned pole as as replacement for an existing G'psgoalux Haisla Totem [c.1900].

His memorial took place on Friday, September 9th at the Vancouver Friendship Centre.

We'll remember Derek as a gifted artist but, more than that, he was a gentle soul who will be dearly missed.

To view more of his works and biography, we welcome you to view these through our Jewelry and Artist Biographies links.