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 Gert Robertson
Kingcome Inlet
Gertrude was born on August 31, 1941 at Knights' Inlet. She is a member of
the Tswataineik tribe of the Kwawaka'wakw nation. Gert is very family
oriented as she herself comes from a very large family. She is the youngest
of sixteen children. Gert lives in Kingcome Inlet were she grew up and
where she now has raised a family. She and her husband, Bill has four
children and they have raised many other children also.
Gertrude's carving career began one day in the late 1960's when she watched
her father in-law William Robertson St. carving. Now we can find one of her
masks featured in Ottawa's Museum of Man. Gert took on the trade of her
uncles since no one else showed interest. She did not want to see her
heritage lost. In her efforts to keep her culture alive she has taught her
nephews Charlie, Willie and Carl Voyageur how to carve. In the early 1990's
she traveled to Berlin, Germany for a Museum opening with her cousin Francis
Dick. Gert has recently carved a Grizzly Bear mask that will be used in a
Humchitt Potlatch. As well she is carving Animal Kingdome masks for the
Windsor family of the Oweekeno First Nation.
In 1980, Gert was involved in the construction of the U'mista Cultural
Center n Alert Bay, BC. This project at the time seemed to be too much for
women to be involved but Gert and two other women kept up their share of the
work. Doug Cranmer showed them the ins and outs of carving totem poles.
This turned out to be an excellent learning opportunity for Gertrude. Gert
loves her culture and encourages all youth to be involved. She recently
attended a language camp where she carved and learned more about her native
tongue, Kwakwala. Gert stresses, in order not to loose touch with the
culture you need to maintain your language. The elders are the way to the
future so Gert urges all youth to go the their elders to learn as much as
they can.
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