An argillite carving of a bird on its back surmounted by three seated figures. It is stable and in good condition. The toes on the rear sitting figure seem to be intentionally undefined. The long hair on the front figure suggests that he is a Shaman. The 'pin dots' in the centers of the eyes on the boat show the carver used a compass to create the circular forms and if so this is unusual. The piece shows great action and movement and it thought to be one of the great argillite pieces by most scholars.

This tiny figure representing the sea wolf with his prey was probably made by Isaac Chapman around the turn of the century. The mythical sea wolf holding a whale in its jaws and another in its tail is a subject frequently seen in argillite. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

This figure group is a finial from the lid of an elaborately carved argillite chest, the other parts of which are in the United States National Museum. This is the work of Charles Edensaw, one of the great Haida artists. Here, a bear holds the twisted body of a man in its jaws. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, carvers began to produce compact sculptural groups of figures of animals and men. Some of them are very complex, with many figures crowded together in contorted positions. Incidents from myths were often depicted. This group has the bear as its main figure, holding a man in its jaws and a cub on its lap. The meaning of the various figures is not clear, but it is likely that the group illustrates incidents from the "Bear Mother" myth. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)