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Gloria Roze (nee Hunt) was born August 1943 in Alert Bay, BC. She is the youngest daughter of the late hereditary chief Thomas Hunt (Kwagu’ł) and Emma (nee Billy) (Mowachaht). Gloria feels fortunate that she was brought up in the best of two worlds, educated in the public school system, but surrounded by family that was steeped in their traditions. She clearly remembers the excitement in her grandmother’s home as her mother, aunt, and grandmother worked on regalia in preparation for the opening of the Bighouse at Thunderbird Park, in Victoria. At that time she did not realize that it was the first time her family could legally dance and wear their regalia because the ban on potlatches had been quietly dropped by the government of Canada. Gloria made her first apron in 1970 when her seven-year-old daughter mentioned that she was taught to be proud of her heritage but didn't own any regalia. It wasn't until 1975 that Gloria made her first button blanket, in preparation for a family potlatch held in Alert Bay in 1976 (at the time Gloria lived in Prince George). Her sister had inherited a button blanket from their grandmother Abaya Martin, and this blanket was used as a pattern for material and style. Gloria made a duplicate copy. “Our language has some beautiful words, and Ha'sa is one of them. The closest translation would be ‘breath of our ancestors’. They live forever in us. It was like granny came back to teach us.” Gloria made MOA’s Tree of Life apron around 1980 for her father. She had made a blanket for her mother using the same crest and her father loved it; he said that the crest should be for the eldest in the family. Gloria’s great-great-grandmother was Mary Ebbets from Tongas, Alaska. “I have a broad base to choose from when making my regalia: Tlingit, Kwakiutl, and Mowachaht. I originally chose to use navy Melton as the main colour and red wool flannel for the borders. The red represents the colour of our Tree of Life: cedar. Originally trade materials were from the Hudson's Bay Company. They had an abundance of navy Melton, which was used for Navy Pea jackets, and red wool flannel, which was used for undergarments. My blankets tell a story.”

Born: 1943