"Captain" Andrew Brown inherited his Haida name Owt'iwans from his grandfather. An Eagle of the Gitins division from Yan, he frequently used the eagle crest. His English given name was Andrew Brown, and he was given the nickname "Captain" because he was a skilled boat-builder and shipper. He was widely known as a storyteller and humorist.

Brown's early carving was influenced by the work of Charles Edenshaw, and he was active for several decades - at least until around 1940, when his eyesight began to fade. Brown's style is typified by intricate detail, stippled or cross-hatched texturing, turned-down mouths, and pointy noses, sometimes slightly upturned. From the top, this fascinating pole depicts the following figures: a short-beaked raven holding a shark or dogfish; a raven in human form, left hand held to its face and holding its broken beak in its right hand; and a beaver.

References: For the section on Captain Andrew Brown see Marius Barbeau, Haida Carvers in Argillite, (Ottawa: Department of Northern Affairs and Natural Resources / National Museum of Canada, 1957), pp. 203-209. For a brief discussion of the artist see Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida, (North Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp. 246-249. See also First Arts, July 2020, Lot 52.