Bill Reid

Bill Reid (1920-1998), acclaimed Haida master goldsmith, carver, sculptor, writer and spokesman, was one of Canada's greatest artists.

Bill Reid was born to a Haida mother and a European father. While working as a broadcaster with the CBC in Toronto in the early 1950s, he studied jewelry-making at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, and later studied classic European jewelry-making at the London School of Design. He combined European jewelry techniques with the Haida art tradition. His passion for Haida art was kindled by a visit to Haida Gwaii in 1954 where he saw a pair of bracelets masterfully engraved by the great carver and his great-uncle, Charles Edenshaw, after which, to use his own words, “the world was not the same.”

For the next fifty years Reid embraced many art forms. He gradually explored his rich Haida cultural heritage, studying early ethnographic publications, museum collections, and surviving examples of strong works from Haida Gwaii, always trying to understand the logic behind the form.

Inspired by the deeply carved messages of the totems and the lush beauty of the Queen Charlottes, Reid would go on to create many powerful sculptural masterpieces. “The Raven and the First Men,” a native version of the birth of mankind, and “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii,” showcased at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, brought international acclaim. But his crowning achievement was “Lootaas” (“Wave Eater”) -- a 15-metre war canoe carved from a single cedar log.

Reid both celebrated and defended the Haida, using his fame to champion their land claims. When he died in 1998, the Haida took him home, bringing his remains back to his mother’s ancestral village, Tanu, aboard “Lootaas.”

Reid created over 1500 works over his long career, from the ‘monumentally small’ to the ‘exquisitely huge’. In addition, and perhaps of greater impact were his parallel careers as broadcaster, writer, poet, storyteller and communicator.

Bill Reid was the pivotal force in introducing to the world the great art traditions of the indigenous people of the Northwest Coast. His legacies include infusing that tradition with modern ideas and forms of expression, influencing emerging artists, and building lasting bridges between First Nations and other peoples.

Teen Books (1)

The Raven Steals the Light

$18.95

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Authors:

● Robert Bringhurst
● Bill Reid (Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;)

Artists:

● Bill Reid (Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;)

Format: Paperback

Text Content Territories: Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;

ISBN / Barcode: 9781550544817

Synopsis:

Ten masterful, complex drawings by Bill Reid are accompanied by ten episodes from Haida mythology told by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst. The result brings Haida art and mythology alive as never before in an English-speaking world. The collection includes, says Reid, "a good selection of bestiality, adultery, violence, thievery and assault, for those who like that sort of thing."

Educator Information
This work is available in French: Corbeau vole la lumiere

Additional Information
112 pages | 6.13" x 8.44"

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Kids Books (1)

Corbeau vole la lumiere

$19.95

Authors:

● Robert Bringhurst
● Bill Reid (Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;)

Artists:

● Bill Reid (Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;)

Format: Paperback

Text Content Territories: Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Haida;

ISBN / Barcode: 9782896110742

Synopsis:

Avant qu’il y ait quoi que ce soit au monde, avant que les eaux recouvrent tout puis se retirent, avant qu’il y ait sur la terre des animaux, dans l’air des oiseaux, dans la mer des poissons, des baleines et des phoques, il y avait un vieil homme qui vivait dans une maison, au bord d’une rivière, avec son unique enfant, une fille. Qu’elle soit belle comme les branches du sapin ciguë sur un ciel de printemps au lever du soleil ou laide comme une limace de mer est à vrai dire de peu d’importance dans cette histoire qui se passe à peu près complètement dans l’obscurité. »

C’est toute la richesse de la mythologie haïda qui éclate dans l’œuvre Corbeau vole la lumière. À travers les mésaventures cocasses mais néanmoins profondes de Corbeau le filou, on découvre des récits à la fois poignants et pittoresques, dans un monde où les animaux parlent, où les rêves deviennent réalité, où les monstres et les hommes vivent côte à côte. Au-delà d’un échantillonnage de violence, de roublardise et de vindicte, c’est tout un monde où règnent l’amour et la communication entre les espèces qui se révèle à nous.

Educator Information
This work is also available in English: The Ravel Steals the Light.

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