Bill Reid by When Bill Reid, one of North America's great artists, died on March 13, 1998, he left behind a legacy of magnificent art that drew deeply on that of his Haida ancestors. His work continues to be exhibited internationally and is in many private and public collections around the world. This book celebrating the artist and his work was first published in 1986. For the updated edition, Doris Shadbolt has written a new chapter covering Reid's last years from 1987 to 1998, including his masterwork, the great bronze sculpture titled The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, as well as the moving details of his ceremonial Haida burial on Haida Gwaii. In a long career, Reid embraced many art forms, driven always by a passion for the well-made, well-crafted object. This impulse, combined with his gradual rediscovery and rekindling of a rich Haida cultural heritage, informed and inspired his development as a visual artist of tremendous power and brilliant accomplishment. Lavishly illustrated with photographs of Bill Reid's major works and events from his life, this new edition features the addition of more than 40 colour photographs.
Cedar by 
Coast Salish Essays by Wayne Suttles has devoted much of his professional life to research on the cultures of the Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, especially the Coast Salish of the Georgia Strait-Puget Sound Basin. Born and raised in this region, he has been guided by a life-long love of its natural environment and wish to know how its Native peoples lived in it, understood it and felt it. In 1946 he began ethnographic field work with the Straits peoples and in 1951 presented in his Ph.D. dissertation one of the fullest accounts that we have of the fishing, hunting and gathering foundation of a Northwest Coast Indian culture. He is probably best known for his contribution to the "ecological" approach to the Northwest Coast. In essays included in this volume, he was the first to challenge the received wisdom that Northwest Coast Indians lived in perpetual Eden-like abundance and that their lavish potlatches were merely the expression of cultural values gone wild, and he was the first to suggest that cultural differences within the Northwest Coast may be related to environmental differences. These essays have had a lasting impact on the study of the Northwest Coast, provoking argument and suggesting problems for research and hypotheses to test in both social anthropology and archeology. Other essays deal with Native knowledge, belief and art, with Native responses to the European invasion, and with the prehistory of Northwestern North America. All are updated with references to more recent works and the author's own reconsideration of some matters.
Eagle Transforming The Art of Robert Davidson by 
Images from the Likeness House by On a winter's day in 1889, Tsimshian Chief Arthur Wellington Clah went to Hannah and Richard Maynard's photography studio in Victoria "to give myself likeness." In Images from the Likeness House, Dan Savard explores the relationship between First Peoples in British Columbia, Alaska and Washington and the photographers who made images of them from the late 1850s to the 1920s. He gives examples of the great technological advancements that took place, from wet-glass-plate to nitrate-film negatives, showing the images in their original state, not cropped, corrected or retouched. This is not only an important book about photography, but also a visual statement about perception (and misperception), cultural change and survival. Images from the Likeness House will appeal to ethnographers, photographers, art lovers and anyone interested in the history of BC, Alaska and Washington.
In Search of Ancient British Columbia by 
The Magic Leaves by Peter Macnair and Alan Hoover recount the history of Haida argillite carving since it began in the early 1800s, and they describe more than 200 examples from the extensive collection of the Royal BC Museum. Argillite is a dense, black shale mined from a quarry on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), reserved for the exclusive use of Haida carvers. Argillite works are unique in style and character, ranging from ceremonial pipes and model poles to elaborate platters and chests. "The careful scholarship of Peter Macnair and Alan Hoover has ensured that The Magic Leaves remains an authoritative text on the types, subjects and history of argillite carving. Argillite carvings made for the souvenir, ethnographic and fine-art markets maintained and developed Indigenous stylistic and narrative traditions. The beautiful black slate of Haida Gwaii continues to be a vehicle for profound expressions of Haida history and artistic innovation." - Dr. Martha Black, from the Foreword.
Mythic Beings by Mythic Beings brings together 80 outstanding works by 20 contemporary artists that powerfully interpret Northwest Coast myths and legends. These works include totem poles, argillite sculptures, jewelry in silver and gold, carved and painted boxes, painted drums, and masks. They depict beings of the forest, sea, sky, and spirit worlds: Raven, Thunderbird, Salmon Bringer, Volcano Woman, and many more. Accompanying each work are a retelling of the myth associated with it and comments from the artist on the myth's meaning, as well as stories related to the creation of the work. Gary Wyatt's introduction discusses the evolution of contemporary Northwest Coast art, touching on major international commissions and exhibitions, and landmark pieces. It also discusses the relevance of myth and legend in contemporary Native society, and the changes and interpretations that have been introduced over the past three decades.
Myths and Legends of the Haida Indians of the Northwest by The great stories of the Haida Indians are told by Dr. Reid, wife of a great Indian artist. The complicated tales of Raven, Eagle, Bear Mother, etc., are unfolded; the art is magnificent!
Northwest Coast Indian Art by It is apparent that there was, on the Northwest Coast, a highly developed system for the organization of form and space in two-dimensional design as an adjunct to the well-known symbolism. Design ranging from nearly realistic representation to abstraction resulted from the application of the principles of this system.--from Northwest Coast Indian Art "A genuinely analytical study of the basic elements of form which characterizes a particular aboriginal art... . The text is clear and brings truly fresh understanding and appreciation to a complex art; it also contributes a concept of analysis which should be applied to other areas. The book is well designed and very well illustrated."--Choice
Nuu-Chah-Nulth Voices, Histories, Objects and Journeys by This collection of essays, personal narratives and historical accounts presents a variety of perspectives on the art and the artists of this vibrant Northwest Coastal people.
Plants of Haida Gwaii by 
Red by Referencing a classic Haida oral narrative, this stunning full-colour graphic novel documents the tragic story of a leader so blinded by revenge that he leads his community to the brink of war and destruction. Consisting of 108 pages of hand-painted illustrations, Red is a groundbreaking mix of Haida imagery and Japanese manga. Now available in paperback, the hardcover edition was nominated for the B.C. Bookseller's Choice Award, a Doug Wright Award for Best Book and a 2010 Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Cartoonist. It was also an Amazon Top 100 book of 2009. Red is the prideful leader of a small village in the islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia. His sister was abducted years ago by a band of raiders. When news comes that she has been spotted in a nearby village, Red sets out to rescue his sister and exact revenge on her captors. Tragic and time- less, it is reminiscent of such classic stories as Oedipus Rex and Macbeth. Red is an action-packed and dazzling graphic novel that is also a cautionary tale about the devastating effects of rage and retribution.
The Spirit of Haida Gwaii by Elegant and evocative, this is a classic that pays tribute to one of the great sculptural works of this century. The artist Bill Reid, who is part Haida, is internationally renowned for his totem poles and other large pieces, as well as for his work on a small scale in silver and gold. His masterpiece, The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, is a bronze canoe six meters (20 feet) long, filled to overflowing with the creatures of Haida mythology. Its ten passengers include the Raven, the Eagle, the Bear and his human wife, the Mouse Woman and the Dogfish Woman. In the middle stands the Chief holding in his hand a smaller sculpture: a talking stick that depicts the story of creation in Haida terms. Ulli Steltzer's superb black-and-white photographs record and reveal intimate insights into the creative process of this sculpture, as well as the parts and the whole of this monumental work. The story of the sculpture and of its creator, Bill Reid, is engagingly related by Robin Laurence. And Bill Reid's own descriptions of the creatures in the canoe provide glimpses into the mythic complexity and power of The Spirit of Haida Gwaii.
Spirit Transformed by