Joe Peters, Jr. was born in 1960 on Cormorant Island, which is situated near Alert Bay in British Columbia. He descended from a prominent line of carvers. Jack James, his grandfather, was a master carver on Gilford Island, B.C. and his father, Joe Peters, Sr., carved alongside the renowned totem carver, Ellen Neel. In his early years, Joe Peters, Jr. felt a strong fascination for the totem poles in Alert Bay and he began carving at 10 years old. Mainly self-taught, he found strong influences in the work of prominent Kwakwaka’wakw carvers Beau Dick and Russel Smith.
At an early age, Joe Peters, Jr. attended his first potlatch in the company of his maternal grandmother, Lydia Whonnock. His great-grandparents, Mary and John Whonnock were jailed for potlatching in the early part of the 20th century. Today, his family in Alert Bay hold many potlatches and are famous for their fine singing and dancing. Joe Peters, Jr. passed away in 1994.