Williams, Wilson
Wilson Williams, son of Sam Williams and Nelly Williams, nee Chester (Sam Williams first wife), was a fifth generation Nitinaht carver of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. He was also a member of the Ditidaht Tribe. When, in the early 1900's, his father with his second wife (also Nelly - from the Huu-ay-ahd tribe) moved to Seattle, his mother with Wilson and his brother Mike and and stayed behind in Bamfield, Canada. Already in the early days in Canada, Wilson's father Sam taught his sons to carve. While Sam had begun mentoring his youngest son, Ray, who never attended school and grew up illiterate but would become the unlikely family prodigy, Wilson already had become an accomplished carver and began to develop his very own style very soon. He also mentored his son Harry. Today, his work is displayed in museums in the North-West and the rest of North America. His grandson Harry T. of Port Alberni, inherited the skills of his grandfather. Wilson's carvings consisted mainly of totem poles, but once in a while he would carve a traditional mask and a plaque as well.