Joe (wahalatsu?) Seymour, Jr.

Tribal Enrollment Number: C-653

Joe (wahalatsu?) Seymour, Jr. is the son of Joe Sr. and Faye Seymour.  Joe was born in Albuquerque, NM.  He was formally trained as a commercial diver at the Diver’s Institute of Technology in Seattle, WA in 2002.

Joe’s ancestral name, wahalatsu?, was given to him by his family in 2003.  wahalatsu? was the name of his great grandfather William Bagley.

Joe started his artistic career by carving his first paddle for the 2003 Tribal Journey to Tulalip. Also in 2003, he carved his first bentwood box. After the Tulalip journey, he then learned how to stretch and make drums.

Joe participated in the international gathering of Indigenous Artists, PIKO 2007, in Hawai’i.  He also participated in the Te Tihi, 4^th Gathering of Indigenous Visual Artists, in Rotorua, New Zealand, in 2010.

“In my career, I’ve worked with glass, photography, Salish wool weaving, prints, wood, and rawhide drums.  I’ve been very fortunate to have a community of artists that I’m able to work with and who are very supportive of my career.  If it were not for their caring and sharing of ideas, I would not be the artist that I am today.

“I hope that as I continue in my artistic career, I can pass on the teachings and nurturing spirit that have been shown to me.”