This First Man sculpture was carved in argillite by Haida artist Andrew Williams. It features 6 small abalone inlays in the eyes of the carved figures and has been signed by the artist on the bottom.

This piece tells a Haida creation story in which the Raven freed the Haida people from a clam shell.

The Raven found himself alone and bored one day walking the beach in Haida Gwaii, looking for something to amuse himself with. As he was walking the beach he heard a strange sound. Then he noticed an extraordinary clamshell lying in the sand. Protruding from the clamshell were these tiny creatures that Raven had never seen before. As he bent down to get a closer look he saw that the tiny creatures seemed afraid and hesitant to come out. He spoke gently to them, coaxing them to join him in his world. A few of the creatures, overcome by curiosity, emerged from the clamshell. They looked nothing like Raven - no feathers, no wings and no beaks. Like him they walked on two legs, but they had arms, faces, mouths and black hair. They spoke to eachother in a language Raven didn't understand.

These tiny creatures were the first Haida people.

The piece measures up to 2 1/2 inches or 6 1/2 centimeters in diameter and about 1 3/4 inches or 4 1/2 centimeters high. It weighs approximately 238 grams.