CULTURAL GROUP:
Kwakwaka'wakw

BORN:
1951

BIRTHPLACE:
Alert Bay, B.C

Richard Hunt's Kwakwaka’wakw name is ‘Gwe-la-yo-gwe-la-gya-lis’ which means ‘a man who travels around the world giving’. Richard began carving with his father, Henry Hunt, at age thirteen and he is the grandson of master carver, Mungo Martin. He later apprenticed with his father in 1973 at the Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, where he continued working for twelve years. In 1986, Richard began working as a freelance artist and in 1991, he was the first Native artist to receive the Order of British Columbia for his achievements. Just three years later, Richard received the Order of Canada in 1994 for his contributions to the arts. He received a Golden Jubilee medal from Queen Elizabeth in 2002 and was elected into the Royal Academy of Arts in 2004. Richard received an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria in Fine Arts, like his father.