Josh
Yates lives in Craig, Alaska, which is on Prince of Whales Island. His Aunt
Judy, an artist from Hydaburg, has encouraged him to keep carving and
drawing. She adopted him into the Eagle Clan.
His Dad is from the
Yaklaanas Clan. He is Raven, Doublefin Killerwhale. The dogfish and berry
picker and the moon are crests that belong to him. His Mom is part German,
English, and Scottish.
In his own words:
“I try to embrace both
sides of my family for traditions and culture although the Native culture is
more prevalent. TJ and Joe Young are two excellent carvers who I would hang
out with when I would visit Hydaburg with my Dad. Sometimes they would be
break dancing or jumping on the trampoline to dunk the basketball. I had fun
and I also wanted to carve an eagle mask so TJ hooked me up and showed me
how. I danced this mask at my grandmother’s memorial in July 2001. In
October 2001, I went to Kitanmax School of Northwest Coast native art in
Hazelton, BC.
“This here is a list of
people and places and a play that I was in that inspire me to carve and
paint Native art. My cousin Kathy Kato “TAATS” is a well-known artist who
has inspired me with her art as well as my Uncle Ezzy Yates who showed me
how to make bentwood boxes, and skin sea otter.
“In 2002 I was in a Native
play called the War Canoe Story where I got the nickname “huntsgow” which
means good for nothing, but in the end I saved the day by building the bow
piece for the canoe. So the moral of the story is you can’t judge a man too
carefully because you never know what he is capable of doing.
“In August 2005 seven totem
poles were raised in Klawock, carved by John Rowan and some apprentices.
There was about 3 nights of food and dancing and it was very cool. Robert
Peele brought a canoe up from
Seattle
and they paddled from Hydaburg to Klawock. I was out in the boat that day
and I spotted them in the water and I wanted to get in the canoe but it
wasn’t up to me because my uncle wanted to go hunting so we got a deer and I
caught my first 3 coho by rod and reel. On September 24, 2005 I went to a
memorial potlatch for Chief Yeilth Ewaans and other Ravens and I got the
chance to dance again and I had fun.
“Keep
making it, keep carving it, keep doing it.”
--Ha’waa, Josh Yates
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