Raven Transforms: The Haida Argillite Art of Kihl'yahda Christian White

This first-ever monograph of a Haida argillite carver features nearly 200 artworks by Kihl'yahda Christian White, most never seen in public before, along with the artist’s telling of the supernatural stories that inspired them. Kihl’yahda Christian White is often described by his peers as a “natural-born carver.” Since first picking up a knife as a teenager five decades ago, he has become one of the most accomplished artists on the Northwest Coast and a fierce advocate of Haida culture.At home in Haida Gwaii, he is known for monumental cedar poles, longhouses, and canoes that bring the entire community together in celebration. Beyond Haida Gwaii, he is best known for intricate carvings in argillite, or “black shale,” the fine-grained stone found only on Haida Gwaii, its use strictly regulated by the Haida Nation.Since artists first started carving argillite to trade with Europeans around 1800 such works have served as emissaries for Haida culture, a practice that White continues today-