Year-round, the Royal British Columbia Museum's Thunderbird Park illustrates the coming together of First Nations images and traditions within the modern city. The park displays totem poles in the styles of many First Nations, which were carved by the carver, Chief (Mungo Martin). Mungo Martin came to Victoria in 1952 to start a carving program at Thunderbird Park and to replicate some of the poles in the museum's collection. In 1953 he built , a smaller version of a traditional bighouse that once stood in (Fort Rupert), with the assistance of his son-in-law, Henry Hunt, and Hunt's sons, Tony and Richard.

Over the years, many First Nations artists took part in the carving program. Some, like the late Art Thompson (Ditidaht), went on to become internationally renowned and respected artists. The carving program enables First Nations artists to study traditional carving and painting techniques while providing the general public with accurate information about the cultural property of First Nations people.

Currently, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre administers Echoes of Ancestry, a summer carving program in Thunderbird Park for young First Nations artists. The centre has also developed A Day's Journey, a program for schoolchildren held at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Developed by Leslie McGarry, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre's culture and community relations director and the granddaughter of Henry Hunt, this program provides local grade schools with educational sessions in the museum to increase youth awareness of aboriginal culture and heritage.