The Raven and the First Men

Bill Reid, 1980
Northwest Coast First Nations Artist

"The great flood which had covered the earth for so long had at last receeded and the sand of Rose Spit, Haida Gawii lay dry. Raven walked along the sand, eyes and ears alert for any unusual sight or sound to break the monotony. A flash of white caught his eye and there, right at his feet, half buried in the sand, was a gigantic clamshell. He looked closely and saw that the shell was full of little creatures cowering in terror in his enormous shadow. He leaned his great head close and with his smooth trickster's tongue coaxed and cajoled and coerced them to come out and play in his wonderful new shiny world. These little dwellers were the original Haidas, the first humans."

Museum of Anthropology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada