Chuck Heit is Gitxsan from the Skeena River country in northern British Columbia,
Canada. He was born into the house of Geel, the leading Fireweed clan house
in Kispiox. Chuck’s Gitxsan name is Axgagoodiit, however the name he likes
to use the most to sign his carvings is
Ya’Ya.
Ya'Ya began to carve in a place called K’san
in nearby Hazelton. Ya'Ya was lucky to have a lot of good artists working
together at K’san when he was there. However, Ya'Ya acknowledges
his uncle
Chief Walter Harris as his main teacher and mentor. When Ya'Ya
became a bit older he enrolled in K’san’s ‘Kitanmax School of Northwest
Coast Indian Art as the school’s youngest pupil and continued an apprenticeship
with his uncle at the same time. Once he graduated from art school he was
immediately hired as an instructor, the youngest instructor the school
has ever had. Ya’Ya has assisted his uncle with many of his large
public commissions, and has had the good luck of winning a few commissions
of his own However, the project Ya'Ya is most proud of is the piece closest
to his heart, a large wall panel for the new school in his hometown of
Kispiox, BC.
Ya'Ya - Charles Peter Heit