Tony Hunt Jr.

Kwakwaka’wakw Nation

1961 – 2017

Tony Hunt Jr. was born in on December 4th, 1961, in Victoria, BC. He came from a long line of celebrated artists and cultural leaders, including his great-grandfather Mungo Martin, who was crucial to the revitalization of Kwakwaka’wakw art and culture in the latter half of the 20th century. His grandfather, Henry Hunt, father, Tony Hunt Sr., and uncles, Richard and Stan Hunt, are also renowned Kwakwaka’wakw carvers.

Tony’s artistic journey began in early childhood, as he learned to carve under the guidance of artists such as Henry Hunt, Tony Hunt Sr., Richard Hunt, Calvin Hunt, John Livingston and Gene Brabant. In his senior years of high school, he attended a special program that allowed him to split his time equally between academics and carving. While his art remained rooted in tradition, Tony developed a unique personal style over the course of his career, and his work was sought by collectors worldwide. His work was even featured in the Chiefly Feasts exhibition held at New York’s Museum of Natural History in 1993.

As an initiated Hamatsa dancer, Tony took participated in several potlatches and inherited the rights to many high-ranking dances belonging to the Hunt family. His family crests are Raven and Sisuitl. He believed that his most significant contribution to Kwakwaka’wakw art and culture was building the first big house erected in Fort Rupert in 70 years, alongside his grandfather, father, brother, and cousins.