William Wasden Jr.

William Wasden Jr., or Wak'analagalis ("The-River-Flows-Through-Him-Forever"), is a Kwakwaka'wakw artist and singer born at ʼYa̱lis (Alert Bay), British Columbia on October 14, 1967. William learned basic Northwest Coast art forms at a very young age from Chief T̕sesti’lela Wa’kas Simon Dick. He later learned under a number of renowned artists including Doug Cranmer, Don Yeomans, and his cousin Beau Dick. After hearing his grandfather Thomas Hunt sing for the first time, William decided to shift his focus from artwork to traditional singing with hopes of preserving the dying tradition. William now teaches singing and leads the Gwa'wina Dancers Cultural Society, a professional dance troupe based in Alert Bay.