Haida art by Andrew Williams. 1 7/8" diameter, hand carved argillite, 6 abalone inlays, sterling silver bezel. Haida argillite can be found in a quarry on Slatechuck Mountain which is the property of the Haida Nation.
When the great flood receded Raven ate shellfish on a beach until he could eat no more. Then he heard and saw some tiny beings inside a giant clam shell. He got curious and approached them. The beings were afraid and sealed the shell shut. Raven was unable to open it so he coaxed the human to come out and play with him. The first men started climbing all over Raven. He got tired of it and flew away. They tickled Raven as he flew until he shook them off. Wherever they landed the first villages were established. Raven got bored with the humans because they were all males so he searched the world for females until he finally found women trapped in giant chiton shells. He freed them and put the women and men together and they built families. Raven began to provide for them with fire, salmon, oolichans, and cedar, and he taught them how to survive and live in the world he created.
