CULTURAL GROUP:
Kwakwaka'wakw

BORN:
September 13, 1953

BIRTHPLACE:
Alert Bay, BC

Harold Aflred holds Sisiutl, Sun, and Thunderbird as his family crests. He has been influenced by Kwakwaka'wakw artists Tony Hunt, Oscar Matilpi, Doug Cranmer, and John Livingston. His interest in Kwakwaka'wakw art and culture began at an early age, and he completed the Indian Arts and Crafts Ethnology Course under Peter McNair at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC, in the early 1970s. Harold was one of the wood carvers who participated in the restoration of mortuary poles within Alert Bay, BC, throughout the 1970s. After establishing himself as a wood carver, Harold turned to silver and began creating jewellery. He is well-known for his pendants, cuff bracelets, and earrings in sterling silver, and many of his pieces contain unique cut-outs as well. Since the early 1980s, Harold has taught numerous classes in design, carving, and jewellery-making in Nanaimo, BC. In 2005, Harold was featured in the Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2 exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, NY.