Bill Reid, Haida,
1920-1998
He was a Canadian jeweller, sculptor and artist. His father was
of European descent and his mother was Haida. He developed a keen
interest in Haida art and studied jewellery making, having first
learnt about his heritage from his maternal grandfather. Since
the 1950s he worked to understand Haida culture, and aided in
the partial reconstruction of a village in the University of British
Columbia Museum of Anthropology. His most magnificent works are
two large bronze sculptures, each depicting a canoe filled with
human and animal figures: one black, The Spirit of Haida Gwaii,
at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, and one green, The
Jade Canoe, at Vancouver International Airport. His work is featured
on the $20 note in the Bank of Canada’s new Canadian Journey
(2004) issue. A longer biography appears in Native Leaders
of Canada.
