Ron Aleck was born in 1960 in Chemainus, near Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Ron was born into the Salish Nation of the Pacific Northwest Coast. He takes the Eagle, known as a symbol of power, prestige and peace, as well as friendship, as his family crest. Ron began carving wood in 1977 under the guidance of his uncle, William Good. He carves rattles, bowls, totem poles, small masks and plaques. He is one of many Northwest Coast Native artists continuing the carving tradition of his ancestors for future generations.