Guy Louie Jr.

Nuu-chah-nulth Nation

Guy Louie Jr. was born in Victoria, BC, in 1980. He is an artist and performer from the Ahousaht clan of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation. Guy began to engage with his heritage extensively in his early teens. Growing up in Victoria limited his first-hand experience with Nuu-chah-nulth culture, so Guy initially garnered his knowledge from the various audio recordings of his great-grandfather, Peter Webster.

Peter Webster’s recordings had been passed down through his family and were part of a larger collection amassed by the late musicologist Ida Halpern, who travelled Vancouver Island from 1947 to 1980. Her work during this period focused on capturing the ceremonies and cultures of Indigenous communities. In 2018, these recordings of Guy’s great-grandfather and many other Indigenous singers were recognized by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The commission announced that the collection would be added to the Canada Memory of the World Register, which was created to promote the importance of archival material as the “memory” of humanity.

Today, Guy continues his great-grandfather’s efforts to preserve the songs and music by performing them for his community. He leads The Ahousat Drummers, a family-run drum group that had grown to include many urban Nuu-chah-nulth peoples. Guy has recently begun dabbling in visual arts as well, creating traditional carvings in the Nuu-chah-nulth style. He is currently undertaking an apprenticeship under the renowned Nuu-chah-nulth artist, Moy Sutherland.

Works by this Artist (Present + Past + Public)

Present Works

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