Alaska Native Carving

The Alaska Native Carving courses are a hands-on experience for the students. Their first day of class, students were able to directly engage with this art form by chopping down an alder tree located on SFAC grounds! Carving these pieces allows each student to appreciate the workmanship and skill that goes into such a beautiful craft.

High school students also get to learn from one of the best, Tommy Joseph, who is of the Eagle Moiety, Kaagwaantaan Clan. He has been actively engaged in Northwest Coast carving since the 1980s as an instructor, interpreter, demonstrator and as a commissioned artist. He has produced a wide range of artwork including 35-foot totems, smaller house posts, intricately carved and inlaid masks and a wide range of bentwood containers. He also has replicated Tlingit ceremonial at.oow (treasured objects) and armor. Since the early 1990s, he has been in charge of the carving shop at the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center in Sitka, demonstrating and interpreting Northwest Coast art for the many thousands of tourists who visit during the summer months. In addition, he has been employed by the National Park Service to restore and replicate some pieces in the Park's extensive collection of totem poles.