Titus Auckland

(1966 – Present, Tsimshian)

Titus Auckland was born in 1966 in Terrace, British Columbia. He traces his heritage to the Tsimshian Killerwhale House of Nistaxok at the village of Kitselas on the Skeena River. When he was five years old, Titus and his family moved to Vancouver Island, where he completed his schooling in Duncan, B.C. It was an encounter with Coast Salish artist Simon Charlie in 1984 that inspired Titus to take up carving. In 1989, he decided to move back to Kitselas to further his career. Titus participated in a course in basic Northwest Coast Art Design and Carving, taught by celebrated artists including Stan Bevan, Ken McNeil, and Dempsey Bob. This formal training gave Titus the tools to design and carve traditional objects including bowls, poles, masks, and paddles. Since 2001, Titus has been carving seriously with the support of Stan Bevan and Dempsey Bob, viewing his work as a means of preserving his Tsimshian culture and sharing it with future generations.