Calvin A. Hunt, born in 1956 in Alert Bay, British Columbia, is more than just a talented artist—he is a hereditary Kwakwaka’wakw chief, a knowledge keeper, and a key figure in preserving his people’s culture.
He began carving at the age of 12, mastering the creation of monumental totem poles, masks, crests, and ceremonial pieces that embody the rich traditions of the Kwakwaka’wakw. Among his most remarkable works is the Thunderbird Dance Costume, commissioned in 1982 by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Another masterpiece is a majestic totem pole, carved in Brussels from a red cedar log that was felled in a ritual ceremony in Canada.
The totem represents the Cannibal Giant, a central figure in the Hamatsa society, an elite brotherhood at the heart of Kwakwaka’wakw winter traditions. During these gatherings, young initiates took part in elaborate feasts and dances, where masked men—the Hamsamala—embodied spirits linked to the Man-Eating Spirit.
The totem is accompanied by four striking masks:
Today, this totem and its masks stand as powerful symbols of Kwakwaka’wakw cultural heritage, inviting visitors to the Museum of Art & History to discover a world where art and spirituality intertwine to tell deeply rooted ancestral stories.
Meet calvin A. Hunt : https://spiritsofthewestcoast.com/collections/calvin-a-hunt
In the past, the Hamatsa initiation was an intense ritual. The initiate, believed to be possessed by the man-eating spirit, would spend months in isolation in the forest, approaching the village while shouting “Hap! Hap!”—a sound linked to the word “eat.” Upon his return, healers would capture him to begin the process of calming his spirit. The ceremony started with the sound of the madzis, whistles imitating the noises made by Baxwbakwalanuksiwe’ as he walked through the forest, an eerie echo of his many mouths.
Today, the ritual has evolved. The initiate enters through the main door, dressed in hemlock branches, accompanied by an assistant, the Hiligaxste’, who helps him calm down. Other attendants, armed with rattles, surround him to ease his excitement. Gradually, his hemlock costume is replaced by red cedar bark regalia, a symbol of his new status. Now dressed in his ceremonial attire, he dances around the fire, crying “Hap! Hap!” at intervals, while the wooden beaks of the Hamsamł birds, the spirit’s assistants, snap loudly in the house.
The Hamatsa dance remains a spectacular celebration, where myth comes to life to remind everyone of the deep traditions and history of the Kwakwaka’wakw.
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