He then spent ten years working as a High School teacher and basketball coach in Seattle, Metlakatla and Washington. During this time, he began to seriously research the traditional art and culture of the Tsimshian.
For the next decade, he worked as an educator and athletic coach at high schools in Seattle, Metlakatla, and Washington. During this period, he began to delve into the traditional arts and cultural practices of the Tsimshian tribe.