Child, Mervyn
Mervyn Child (b. 1955) is an artist of Kwaguł, Tlingit, Nuu-chah-nulth, and British descent from the village of Tsax̱is (Fort Rupert), British Columbia's Pacific Northwest Coast. Mervyn comes from a family of distinguished Kwakwaka’wakw carvers, including George Hunt Jr., Calvin Hunt, and Thomas Hunt, and is descended from George Hunt, the well-known ethnographer from Fort Rupert who collected objects and information for Franz Boas at the turn of the 20th century.
Mervyn primarily works in wood, carving and painting masks, feast bowls, and rattles. He also carves monumental poles and canoes, often with members of the Hunt family.
Mervyn has a strong belief in the continuation of First Nations culture and spends time sharing his knowledge with Kwakwaka’wakw youth groups, teaching them the songs and dances of their heritage. As a knowledge keeper, self-taught Kwakʼwala speaker, and artist, Mervyn is involved in all aspects of his cultural heritage. Mervyn was initiated as a Nunsistalis in the Hamatsa Society at the memorial potlatch for his grandfather, the late chief Thomas Hunt.
His work has been acquired by public collections such as the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, the Lowe Art Museum, Florida, and by the Musée du Cinquantenaire, Bruxeilles.
With the resurgence of canoe building in 1993, Mervyn and his uncle, Calvin Hunt, carved a 32’ Northern Style canoe that represented the Kwagu’l Nation at “Quatuwas” canoe gathering in Bella Bella. This canoe, named “Maxwalaogwa”, belongs to the Maxwalaogwa Canoe Society, formed by Calvin and his wife, Marie. He was also instrumental in carving the canoe, which represents the double headed sea serpent. The canoe was a part of the Commonwealth Games during the summer of 1994.
