Various Sculpture

Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint

Reclaimed Yellow Cedar wood, Acrylic paint, Copper [Engraved]

“Ethnology of the Kwakiutl, Based on Data Collected by George Hunt -Part I.” by Franz Boas

Grandpa George, Numas is a fascinating portrait piece that Corrine Hunt created in honour of her great-grandfather, George Hunt. Many of George Hunt’s most distinctive features are depicted on the piece – including, most notably, his full-bodied mustache and big blue eyes. Numas is Kwak’wala for “Old Man,” which is how the Hunt family affectionately refers to their former patriarch. He lived to be 79 years old, which was quite impressive for his time.

Corrine Hunt’s sculpture is carved from a half-round of reclaimed yellow cedar wood, which the artist has left partially untouched so as to retain the organic shape and look of the wood. The eye of the sculpture features a miniature copper shield with several Kwak’wala words engraved on the surface. These words are excerpts from Ethnology of the Kwakiutl, Based on Data Collected by George Hunt – Part I, which was edited by Franz Boas and contains extensive information regarding the lifestyle, culture, and customs of the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples and their communities. While the book that accompanies this piece was published in 2011, the original ethnological text was first featured in the Thirty-fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1914.

Yellow Cedar wood, Abalone shell, Acrylic paint

Yellow Cedar wood, Abalone shell

Figures Eagle & Frog