In 1951 he returned to Vancouver and became greatly interested in the works of Edenshaw, working to understand the symbolism of his work, much of which had been lost along with the many Haida traditions. During this time he also worked on salvaging artifacts, including many intricately carved totem poles which were then moldering in abandoned village sites, and aided in the partial reconstruction of a village in the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology.
Working in the traditional forms and media (usually gold, silver and argillite), he began by making jewelry before branching into larger sculptures in bronze and cedar, usually portraying figures, animals and scenes from folklore, as well as assisting in the preservation of the accompanying mythology.
When the law in Canada changed, he was quick to apply for recognition as a Haida.
His most magnificent works are the canoes: one black, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, in the United States and one green, at Vancouver International Airport, in British Columbia.
Having dedicated the latter part of his life to the creation of new works and these tasks of curation, Reid died in 1998, of Parkinson's disease.
Bill Reid's sculpture The Raven and The New Men, showing part of a Haida creation myth. The Raven represents the Trickster figure common to many mythologies. The work is in the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver.