CULTURAL GROUP:
Haida

BORN:
January, 1951 (d. 2009)

BIRTHPLACE:
Haida Gwaii, BC

Sharon Hitchcock, whose Haida name was Kinta-Way, was one of the pre-eminent artists in Northwest Coast art. Sharon grew up in the village of Old Massett in Haida Gwaii, and was a member of the K'owas Eagle clan. Her nephew is acclaimed Haida artist, Jay Simeon. A woman ahead of her time, Sharon was a gifted artist who worked in several different mediums including argillite, wood and metal carving, painting, and illustration. She was also the first Native woman trained in animation techniques, and her work can be seen in the National Film Board's Raven Stole the Light. In 1995, she illustrated the children’s book The Day the Sun was Stolen. Sharon counted one of her greatest achievements as helping design and paint a 48-foot canoe with Bill Reid that eventually took to France. She passed away in 2009.