Jason Gobin

Artist Statement

My name is Hik Stubs in the Lushootseed dialect, my English name is Jason Gobin, and I am a member of the Tulalip Tribes. I have been doing artwork since I was a young boy learning from my grandfather Bernie Kia Kia Gobin and my uncle Joe Gobin. My focus is on the revitalization of the Salish art forms and utilizing it in many different mediums. I am carving, painting, weaving, and working in metal, glass and digital media.

I have recently finished a number of private commissions of paddles for canoe journey pullers and private collectors. A few years ago my uncle Joe and I carved a small dugout canoe, the Butterfly. This canoe was used in our first Salmon Ceremony that year. I have been involved in the first Salmon Ceremony at Tulalip all of my life. I have also been a commercial fisherman all of my life. Today I work full time as the Fish & Wildlife director for Tulalip Tribes. As the director I manage our harvest management program for fin fish, shellfish and wildlife. I also manage the Tulalip Forestry & Logging enterprises, Tulalip Salmon Hatchery, and the Port of Tulalip. I am one of the skippers for our tribal sea going canoes here at Tulalip.  I have been involved in the canoe journeys since 1997. I have been involved with our tribal design project at Tulalip.  This program provides all the major public art for all of our tribal government facilities and the Tulalip resort.  In the future I would like to carry on the tradition of canoe carving that was brought back to Tulalip by Jerry Jones and my uncle Joe Gobin with the help of Bill Holm in 1988, and to work with other artist such as Shaun Peterson (Puyallup), Al Charles, and others to revitalize the Southern Salish art form and bring it into the future for the next generations.