Bill Reid

This film shows British Columbian Metis artist Bill Reid, jeweller and wood carver, at work on a totem pole in the Haida Indian tradition and the gradual transformation of a bare cedar trunk into a richly carved pole is demonstrated. The totem pole is a gift of the artist to the people of Skidegate, Queen Charlotte Islands. Particularly moving is the raising of the pole by the villagers, as Bill Reid stands by.