''The Raven and the First Men'' is a sculpture by

Haida Haida may refer to: Places * Haida, an old name for Nový Bor * Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands * Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia Ships * , a 1 ...

artist

Bill Reid William Ronald Reid Jr. (12 January 1920 – 13 March 1998) (Haida) was a Canadian artist whose works include jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and paintings. Producing over one thousand original works during his fifty-year career, Reid is ...

. It depicts the Haida creation myth. It was carved from a single block of laminated yellow cedar, beginning in the fall of 1978, and took two years to complete, with work completing on April 1, 1980. ''Raven and the First Men'' is depicted on the reverse of the former Canadian twenty dollar bill of the '' Canadian Journey'' series.

Background

''Raven and the First Men'' depicts the creation myth of the Haida people. According to the myth, the

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between " crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigne ...

wound up on

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...

's Rose Spit Beach. He was alerted by some sounds to a large clamshell that had little creatures dwelling inside, reluctant to emerge from their shell. With some coaxing from Raven using his beak, and their curiosity about the outside world, the beings emerged from the clamshell to become the first Haida people. Raven came to realize that the beings that emerged were only men. He grew bored of seeing them play and exploring the world. Raven attempted to find women for the men within the clam. Finding a

chiton Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail s ...

, he opened one up and found little women living within them. He brought the women to the men, and enjoyed watching them and their behavior. They began to elope and move across to the other parts of the island. Raven never grew bored again with the humans and their families around.

Creation

Reid began the sculpture with a miniature carving made of

boxwood ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost Sout ...

, the piece was inspired by the works of Haida artist Charles Edenshaw. The piece was entitled ''The Raven Discovering Mankind in a Clamshell'', and was carved in 1970. Businessman Walter Koerner noticed the miniature and commissioned Reid to create a larger version in 1973 for his Museum of Anthropology. Another scale version of the sculpture made in

onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...

exists and both carvings are held in the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. A miniature cast in gold was later auctioned off in 2005 for over $100,000. Work proved difficult, as a singular block of red cedar log was difficult to find without imperfection. 2.1 meter blocks found difficult to find because of the presence of rot and defects. A donation by Rayonier Canada of multiple yellow cedar beams which were laminated together with the assistance of Koppers International became the final medium for the sculpture. Carving began in the fall of 1978, the initial roughing of the shape was done with the assistance of Gidansda Guujaaw and George A. Norris. The men within the clamshell were carved by George Rammell and the final tool finishing being done by Reg Davidson and Jim Hart.

Reception

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

unveiled the ''Raven and the First Men'' on April 1, 1980. The sculpture was celebrated by the

Haida people Haida (, hai, X̱aayda, , , ) are an indigenous group who have traditionally occupied , an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. The Haida are known for their craftsmanship, trading skills, and ...

and their guests on June 5, 1980. It has since become a popular attraction to the visitors of the museum. ''Raven and the First Men'' was featured on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill in the Canadian Journey series of bills from 2004 to 2011. Reception has been positive, with one critic remarking that Reid combines European sculpture tradition with native Haida art.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raven and the First Men Haida mythology Animal sculptures in Canada Sculptures of mythology First Nations culture Indigenous art in Canada Northwest Coast art Indigenous sculpture of the Americas University Endowment Lands Woodcarving Indigenous woodcarving of the Americas Sculptures of birds