Alfred, Harold

Harold (Jackson) Alfred

Harold (Jackson) Alfred was born in 1953 in Alert Bay, British Columbia and is a member of the ‘Namgis tribe. Growing up in ʼYa̱lis, one is constantly surrounded by the arts and cannot help but be influenced by the designs, figures and poles created by the great masters of the past. As a result, Harold produces outstanding work, which has a contemporary feel with a strong sense of the past. Harold signs his work with a stylized HJA or HJAlfred.

Harold takes great pride in having carved a twenty foot Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw totem pole for the City of Duncan. The two figures on the pole are the powerful Killer Whale and the supernatural Thunderbird with its powerful wings majestically reaching up to the sky.

Harold observes the high standards set by past masters and applies the same standards of quality and workmanship to his own works whether it is jewelry, carvings, prints, shirts or stained glass. Harold recognizes that development of his knowledge and appreciation of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw art form is an ongoing process. Using the traditional lines of the ovoid, feathered u’s and split u’s. Harold strives to develop distinct lines and forms that clearly depict strong traditional designs, which are true to the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw art form. His works are sold in such places as the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Royal British Columbia Museum.

His logo is the powerful Thunderbird, with its spiral horns and curved beak, which is one of the ancestral crests of the ‘Na̱mǥis and is symbolic of his roots as a ‘Na̱mǥis artist from Alert Bay. Harold presently lives in Victoria, BC with his wife and three children.

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