John Hawks
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John Hawks grew up on the White Mountain Reservation in Arizona. He was just all enough to see over the workbench as he watched his grandfather, a master silversmith, hammer a piece of silver into something beautiful. At age 12, he began doing his own art at the urging of his grandmother by carving molds for the silversmiths.
After serving three years in Vietnam, he settled in Alaska. His grandmother had told him stories of the Athabascans of Alaska who are considered forebears of his band of Chiricahua Apaches. He learned to carve in wood and stone. Carving opened doors for his art. Today, he is well known for his carving and is the fourth generation of carvers for his family.
He is also a memorizing speaker, and creates and writes children's stories as he works, as a way to pass on what he has learned from his extensive self-education into Native American traditions, along with his memories of tales told him by his grandmother.
John quotes from an Apache saying, " Without your wife, you would be naked, hungry and cold." In the old days the wife built the home, made the clothes and prepared the food. While some of that has changed, the strength of the woman makes it possible for the man to succeed even today.
John says of his wife, Gail, "she is the biggest part of John Hawks." John and Gail met in California, where John was exhibiting artwork at a show, and Gail was working for another artist at the event. They were instant soul mates!
John does most of his carving through commission, which has been his livelihood for more than three decades, ever since he started reproducing Native American crafts for film makers who were seeking authentic settings.
Although John and Gail have created artifacts for many movies over the years such as Dances with Wolves, they believe it was just a means to an end. "Never once did I see myself better than the people I met on the street," says John Hawks.