Children of the Raven

National Indigenous Peoples Day 
For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year (source: Government of Canada)
This card is a reproduction of a painting by Bill Reid, a renowned Haida artist. The original is in the collection of the National Museum of Man, Ottawa, Ontario. The card was given to me by one of my Indigenous students years ago, definitely a keeper. The title is Children of the Raven and the art is based on this:
Lonely in the world which was nearly empty after the great flood, Raven one day moved down to the sandy beach of Rosepit, and there he wandered, forlorn. A fair sound came out of the wet sand at his
feet. He saw a bubble, then a clam, half-buried. The clam began to open its valves and out of it came a noise like a sigh. He stooped forward, listening. A small face, the first of its kind, with two round eyes and a tiny slit for a mouth, came out of the shell. And a horde of tiny people men, women, and children finally stepped out of the open valves, and spread round the island. The Raven looked on and sang a new song, for he was well pleasedwith his work. He had brought forth the first people on the island. (Information on the back of the card)