Raven - Trickster Tale of the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest region of the US is surrounded in Native American myths and tales with the central character of raven. It is a brave bird of cunning proportions. He tricks one to help another. A hero, who steals the light from the Sky Chief to give it to the people living in darkness.

The sky above was as dark as the ground below. People lived in the dark and cold. Raven was sad for the people knowing that there was a light, making the day bright and cheerful. Therefore, he set to search for light.

He flew over high mountains and deep valleys filled with rugged coastlines of lakes and snaking rivers. He flew and flew and in the far far distance he saw a glimpse of light. He flew toward the light. The land below and above was getting brighter and lighter and there he saw the house of the Sky Chief.

Perched in a pine tree, he observed the house, from which a beautiful young girl emerged. She was the daughter of the Sky Chief. She dipped a woven basket into the lake and drank its sweet water.

Raven conceived a plan. He turned himself into a pine needle and floated on the water. The girl dipped the basket into the water again. She took a sip of the water on which the needle smoothly floated into her mouth.

After some months passed, the girl gave birth to a child. It had been raven reborn as a boy child.

The Sky Chief was overjoyed with the curious boy. He carved toys for him and played games with him.

One day, he invited the elders to share his happiness. They gathered in a circle, watching the raven-child crawl around. But raven had a plan to fulfil. He just pretended to be playing. He was searching for the light. Then he saw a bright colorful box in the corner.

He crawled to it and not being able to open it, he cried and cried until the mother opened the box for him. There was a smaller box inside. She lifted the lid of the smaller box. Another box appeared inside. So she lifted one more lid and suddenly a blazing light poured out of it.

Happy raven giggled to the delight of the Sky Chief, who told his daughter, “Why don’t you give him the ball of light.”

Raven-boy pretended to be playing with the ball. He rolled it on the floor closer and closer to the open window. Then he changed into a bird and snatching the ball in his beak, he flew out the window.

The bird flew back over the valleys and mountains and high above the highest peak he perched the ball of light in the sky. And this is how Raven stole the sun and gave it to the people.

In return, the people always feed Raven for bringing them light.

Source: ‘Raven’ by Gerald McDermott