Laura Szczyrba

Corvus and Culture: Ecological Reflections in Haida and Tlingit Raven Mythology

Abstract

Elaborate stories of the raven are featured in Haida and Tlingit mythology. As a

mythological character, it plays a vital role as light-bringer, culture-bringer, and trickster.

Interestingly, it is within these complex mythologies that many ecologically accurate

observations of the raven are made, endowing these traditions with genuine respect for nature. In

this paper, I establish an ecological background of the raven, then frontload foundational

characteristics of how these groups regard this character, and finally I examine the integration of

the raven into Haida and Tlingit Culture. I summarize Haida and Tlingit myths then pinpoint and

analyze accurate ecological knowledge embedded within.

Introduction

Few people lack opinion on ravens. For better or for worse, these birds demand our

attention. They are loud, striking, mischievous and ultimately uncontrollable, yet they have

closely associated with people since the time of the early hunters and gatherers (Marzluff and

Angell 2005). Their intelligence enables them to take advantage of the most wasteful species on

earth— humans. However, their connections to people delve far deeper than this, as they have

profoundly influenced cultures across the world. Ravens have impacted many humans

throughout time. Since the 17th century the royal crown has protected the ravens occupying the

Tower of London. Edgar Allan Poe immortalized these birds in his poem, “The Raven”. Aesop

recognized their intelligence in his beloved fables. The image of the raven has been woven in

and out of human history. But perhaps nowhere have these birds been more exalted than in the

New World. Many of the Northwest Coast Indians, most notably the Haida and the Tlingit, have

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shaped their mythology with the raven as the chief mythological character, filling the role of

creator, hero, and trickster (Deans 1888). The exceptional ecology of the species may contribute

to the great amount of attention that these groups have devoted to them.

General Ecology

Simply put, ravens are big, black, beautiful, and extraordinarily numerous. Their family,

Corvidae, consists of ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, among others. Their genus, Corvus,

meaning “to croak” in Latin, and consists of 46 species of crow-like birds world-wide, which

includes the glossy black crows, ravens, jackdaws and rooks (Kilham 1989). Many people

confuse the morphology of crows and ravens. Ravens are essentially large crows, weighing three

times as much, with a more hooked beak, a wedge- shaped tail and a raspy croak instead of a

caw. The species that occupies the North West coast of America is the common American raven

(Deans 1888). They are roosting birds, meaning that where there is one, there are many. Ravens

are the only birds whose range spans deserts, forests, scrublands, grasslands, taiga, and arctic

tundra biomes. Interestingly, they do not migrate (Kilham 1989). Their predators include

raccoons, owls and coyotes, but on the whole the main cause of death for these birds lies in

human hands: either by nest destruction or outright hunting.

The Haida and Tlingit

The Haida and Tlingit tribes of Southeast Alaska are linguistically distinct. However, as

close neighbors, with the Haida to the south of the Tlingit, they share many cultural

characteristics. Topographically, this region of the Northwest Pacific Coast has been subject to

much crustal depression, resulting in many flooded valleys, abrupt mountains, deeply cut

streams, and numerous islands (Goddard 1972). Because of the innumerable inlets and islands,

there is a lot of available shoreline, creating an extremely productive ecotone ideal for fishing. In

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terms of climate it is a very damp region, with rain or snowfall occurring two hundred days of

the year on average. The warm Japan Current runs along this coast, moderating the climate and

producing a lot of foggy moisture (Krause 1956). Furthermore, the mountains along the coast

create a rain shadow effect, with these tribes situated on the rainy side of the mountain.

As a result of all of this moisture, there is a diverse abundance of trees, perfect for

roosting ravens. An unbroken coniferous forest, principally comprised of Sitka spruce and

hemlock, characterizes the region along with many different berry bushes (Krause 1956).

However, the soils of this area are not ideal for cultivation. Luckily, this ecotonal area allows the

Indians to rely on primarily marine sources for their nutritional needs. They derive protein from

the sea, utilizing salmon as their staple fish. In terms of vegetable food, they forage for berries

and take eelgrass as well as seaweed from the water (Goddard 1972).

Rich animal life is contained in this forested coastal area. Deer, elk, rodents, goats,

moose, and bears are plentiful throughout the region. However, sea mammals are of greater

economic importance, above all being the sea otter whose fur is useful for clothing and trade

(Goddard 1972). Among birds, eagles and ravens are most notable. Eagles are used in several

ways. Its meat is consumed, the feathers are utilized in ceremonies, and the wing bones are made

into drinking tubes (Krause 1956). Ravens, a sacred bird between the two tribes, stick around

throughout the year near the villages and make themselves very noticeable. The raven is an

integral part of this landscape and thus these tribes integrate the raven into their culture. Goddard

notes, “The people lived close to the shore and ravens were always about, the most intimate and

sociable of man’s animal neighbors” (Goddard 1972: 134). Perhaps because of these close

interactions, the raven has been featured as a key character in both tribes’ mythological culture.

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The Haida and the Tlingit have similar tribal and clan structures. The system is

exogamous and matrilineal, composed of totemic moieties, with all members of one’s group

considered as relatives (Schurr et al. 2012). Clan status is passed from mother to child. The

Haida moieties, reciprocating descendant groups, are called Eagle and Raven while the Tlingit

moieties vary depending on location. Northern Tlingit groups are grouped into Raven and Eagle

and the southern moieties are Raven and Wolf (Stone 1971). This structure established a system

of “trading” of humans amongst the groups.

Religious beliefs amongst the Haida and Tlingit incorporate the past, present, and future,

with prominent ceremonial, social, and artistic features. The Haida believe in a supreme being,

but that human beings have no direct relations to this figure and instead interacted with

secondary deities (Goddard 1972). Among the secondary deities, the Haida and Tlingit consider

practically all fauna, such as ravens, to possess supernatural power and to be similar to humans

in essence.

The people of the Northwest Coast believed that animals have souls which are

immortal and that they are re-born after death. They are considered practically the

equals of man in general intelligence…

(Goddard 1972: 112)

The main animals utilized for supernatural purposes are the raven, eagle, wolf, and killer whale.

According to religious beliefs of the Northwest Coast Indians, these animal deities are believed

to exercise self-agency and have the ability to act consciously in this and other worlds

(Aftandilian 2010). The animals chosen as main deities are common enough, yet intriguing

enough, to be thought of as spirit guiders. These animals have souls and perceive the world in a

manner similar to humans. Furthermore, they are considered to be kin, with direct relations to

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humans either through origin stories or moiety association (Aftandilian 2010). The interactions

between the people of the Northwest Coast and the animals are spiritually reciprocal (Aftandilian

2010). Since these animals are spirit guides and kin, they are to be treated with respect and not

taken for granted.

Shamans are utilized to maintain positive relations with these supernatural beings. Both

men and women are able to be shamans among the tribes on the Northwest Coast. It is believed

that their powers are derived from these supernatural spirits, which posses their body and

communicate through them (Goddard 1972). The shaman oversees offerings, treats the sick, and

can even foretell events. Importantly, many shamans are able to predict the location of groupings

of fish (Goddard 1972). In the Tlingit tribes, the shamans’ powers are comparable to those of the

chief.

Animal deities are frequently featured in the art of the Northwest Coast. In this area,

pottery is not utilized often as a medium; rather wood is the main form. Women mainly engage

in basketry and textiles while men work the wood (Goddard 1972). Most of the artwork is

created for ceremonial work, and thus featured mythological characters in different forms. Totem

poles display a continuation of ideas, communicating different narratives and myths, displaying

the main characters of the raven, eagle, and killer whale. The Haida and Tlingit are especially

famous for their beautiful raven carvings and paintings.

Mythology has been important for Native American people of the Northwest Coast, as it

is traditionally the primary way of passing down knowledge from the elders to the younger

generation. Both practical knowledge and cultural values regarding the natural world are

captured and transmitted to the next generation through mythological narratives.

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Creation stories lay an especially important role in this regard, among Native

Americans and all peoples, since they lay the foundations for how each people

sees the world and its proper place in it, as well as its duties toward the world and

the other beings with whom it shares the world. (Aftandilian 2010: 80)

This is a creative and memorable way to educate a group. Furthermore, this mythology is true,

genuine sacred history, whose events actually took place in a primordial time before the world

became what it is today (Gurt 1997). In the mythology of the Haida and Tlingit, the raven is

viewed similarly as a cultural hero. Raven is a transformer that reordered and created the world

by bringing the light, however, he also plays the role as trickster. This complicated relationship

contains a sort of grudging admiration. Often unpredictable, he represents creativity, catalyst for

change, and self-indulgence. Both positive and negative characteristics are illustrated in the

myths, all of which reflect the empirical ecology of this intriguing bird.

Folklore and the Raven

Amongst the Tlingits, Raven has been deified as embodying the Supreme Being, creator

of the world. In the their language, he is known as Yale or Yehl (Deans 1888). Amongst the

Haida, the raven is referred to as Choo-e-up or Yale (Deans 1888). The raven itself is not

considered scared, it is rather a symbol of the supernatural and mythical past. It is utilized as a

manner of explaining the order and existence of the phenomena in the current world (Gurt 1997).

Many ecologically sound characteristics are illustrated in mythology. They incorporate

explanations of the unique intelligence, ecological, and morphological characteristics of this bird.

The raven has assumed many meanings for this group, as it has become a symbol for their

identity and an inspiration for well-known artwork. These myths remain a strong presence

amongst the Haida and Tlingit.

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Raven Lights the World (Tlingit)

Raven’s father told him to create the world. Knowing that a man kept the light in a bag for himself in

his house, he transformed himself into a blade of grass and fell into the water glass of the man’s

daughter. Upon drinking the blade, she became pregnant and soon gave birth to a baby boy with

sharp eyes. The baby boy cried and cried, and the man loved the baby very much, so whatever the

baby cried for, the man gave to him. The baby cried for the bags containing the objects of the world.

One by one the baby released the stars, the moon and other earthly objects. Finally, only the bag

containing the daylight remained. After giving him the bag, the baby cawed and transformed back

into Raven, flying through the smoke hole and releasing the light.

(Erdoes and Ortiz 1999)

Fig. 1. "The Raven Steals the Light", Image of the Tlingit raven creation myth from the Canadian Museum of History.

(http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/reid/images/re14_01b.jpg)

This myth illustrates that the raven is a reflection of man that can assimilate into human

form easily. Furthermore, the intelligence of this bird is widely recognized, as Raven knew

exactly how to emotinally exploit the man into giving up the light. This manipulation of human

sentiment is a well thought out, creative solution that requires an understanding of human

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feelings. Both intelligence and recognition of emotional cues are evident in the true ecology of

the raven.

The Haida and Tlingit may have recognized the impressive intelligence of the raven

through this myth, with Raven outwitting a male elder. The raven is the most intelligent of the

Corvus genus (Emery and Clayton 2004). Their brain to body mass ratio is more aligned with

that of a primate, demonstrating that their cognitive potential is closer to that of a primate’s brain

than a “bird brain”. A large forebrain is vital for learning and memory, especially spatial memory

(Marzluff and Angell 2005). With such a large brain to body mass ratio, ravens are able to

identify objects, quickly learn to adapt, and interact socially.

Fig. 2. This graph illustrates brain mass to body mass ratio of various animals. A cluster of Corvid data reveals a trend of high

cognitive ability. Ravens occupy the highest brain to body mass ratio of this group of birds. (Marzluff and Angell)

Macaws are widely recognized as being the most intelligent bird, but ravens give this bird a run

for its money. This is an excellent explanation for how many ravens have been seen using tools,

forethought, and planning in their natural behavior. The intelligence of ravens has been

acknowledged throughout folklore. This is certainly the case in the mythology of the Haida and

Tlingit tribes of Alaska, who have deemed the raven as a creator and trickster deity. These

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biological characteristics are reflected in their mythology, and may perform roles such as cultural

education. The intelligence of Raven is a manner in which the myth approximates the raven to a

human equal, but even more impressive is Raven’s understanding and exploitation of human

emotion. This manipulation requires more than just intelligence, but understanding of human

sentiment as well.

Perhaps ravens are closely associated with humans in this myth because the people of this

area related to this bird on an intimate level. A study by the University of Washington concluded

that American crows are able to react to human gaze and overall demeanor, changing their

behavior based off of the cues it observes (Clucas et al. 2013). Just as dogs have been proven to

recognize human emotions, ravens may have this capability as well, distinguishing them as very

unique birds. Furthermore, ravens may have been regarded so intimately because of their social

nature. Ravens live in family flocks, with one generation of chicks sticking around to aide in

rearing the next generation (Kilham 1989). These birds have also been proven to “get lonely”

and have the capacity to socially imprint on humans if exposed to them at a young age. All of

these ecological similarities to human emotional demeanors logically render this bird capable of

transforming into a human baby endowed with human sentiment and manipulative capabilities.

The final piece to the puzzle of why the raven is endowed with the power of human

transformation may be the raven’s capability of vocal imitation. Ravens have complex throat

muscles that enable them to have a wide range of oral capacities, including mimicry (Marzluff

and Angell 2005). Since the Tlingit were in close association with these birds, it is very well

possible that the raven may have picked up and vocalized common words. This would have been

a very memorable and surprising occurrence, catching many people’s attention and perhaps

deeming this bird as embodying a greater spirit being. These unique talents would merit the

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illustration of Raven transforming into a human child and exploiting emotions in order to arrange

the world.

Raven and the Tides (Tlingit)

Once long ago Raven and his people lived on the shores of the Big Water. As they all grew, there

soon was not enough food for all of them. Everyone began to suffer, for the people could not

enter the Big Water for it was very deep. The Great Spirit came to Raven in his sleep and

informed him that a lady in a cave held the tide line in her lap. Raven flew across the Big Water

to her cave, and strutted outside rubbing his belly saying, “Mmmh, mmmh, those clams are

delicious”. The old woman leaned out and asked Raven where he got the clams, but he tricked

her and kicked sand in her eyes, causing her to drop the tide line. With the waters low, the people

rejoiced and prospered, but soon many of the creatures from the Big Water that were washed

ashore began to die. People cried to Raven for help. So he flew back to the old woman and helped

her clear the sand from her eyes in exchange for her agreeing to let go of the tide line every once

in a while, enabling Raven and his people to eat.

(Erdoes and Ortiz 1999)

The Tlingit are people of the tides. Living on an ecotonal boundary, they rely on the

critical streams for both the biological and cultural diversity they provide. The one species these

people especially rely on is salmon. Therefore, it is quite the honor for Raven to hold the

responsibility for creating such a world with these crucial tides. The watersheds are productive

enough that the Tlingits do not need to intensely cultivate the land. However, that is not to say

that they do not shape their environment. The Tlingits are active stewards of this ecotone,

creating ideal situations for salmon runs, thus maintaining its bounty (Thornton 2012). Both

humans and Raven have taken active roles in affecting the structure of this landscape. The

animism and social organization sustain this relationship, with different animistically identified

clans designated to certain areas, and a moral economy of reciprocation between humans and

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nature (Thornton 2012). This network of meaningful waterscapes shapes the lives of the Tlingit.

And furthermore, as the myth illustrates, this is a mutually beneficial environment for both man

and Raven.

Ravens have been documented taking advantage of stream and river resources. Although

not marine birds, ravens are able to adapt their behavior to utilize this bountiful food source. The

common raven of the Northwest Coast has been documented taking advantage of fish leftovers

on the shorelines (Matley et al. 2012). Ravens are as attracted to ecotonal boundaries as humans

are, for they share a lot of the generalistic and opportunistic motivations.

Fig. 3. The common raven taking advantage of fish scraps during an early Arctic cod event in Allen Bay, near a small Inuit

community. (Matley et al. 2012)

Raven Lights the World (Tlingit)

After releasing daylight, Raven continued on, knowing that Petrel guarded a spring that

contained all the water of the world. Petrel, seeing Raven so exhausted, took him in for the night,

all the while keeping an eye on his spring. While Petrel was snoring, Raven snuck over and wiped

dog dung over his buttocks. In the morning, Raven informed Petrel, “Brother, you have beshitted

yourself.” In embarrassment, Petrel ran off to clean himself off, while Raven snuck into the

spring and drank up all of the water. He tried to fly through the chimney hole to escape, but was

too full of water and got stuck. Petrel, enraged in finding Raven full of all of his water, created a

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fire underneath him, singeing his feathers and giving him his black appearance. After squeezing

through the hole, water dripped from his beak, creating ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans.

(Erdoes and Ortiz 1999)

The secret to the success of ravens is that they are highly adaptable and able to exploit

others, just as the myth showed Raven stealing from Petrel. They are generalists and

opportunists, so they can take advantage of whatever is presented to them. They have

incorporated highly flexible behavioral characteristics that are tailored to individual populations’

environments. In nature, they are generalist omnivores who are notorious for robbing others,

either by taking advantage of leftover carrion, snatching eggs out of nests, or consuming another

predator’s kill (Stiehl 1978). This is evident in this myth where Raven is smart enough to distract

Petrel in order to steal his water, reflecting the true nature of this bird as an opportunist.

Another intriguing aspect of this myth is that it explains the origin of the morphology of

the raven, its black feathers. This coloring may have struck the Haida and Tlingit, since a black

bird against stark white snow draws considerable attention, causing many to wonder the

motivation behind this coloring. It is interesting that while most other animals either adjust

coloring or migrate as the seasons change, the raven does neither. It is intuitive to propose that

the black color may encourage solar heat gain. However some sources go even further, venturing

that the black shiny feather of the raven have social purposes. The strong angular reflections off

their feathers are mirror-like and add visibility to subtle tail and wing flicks when viewed from a

distance (Kilham 1989). This innovative argument further adds to the social idea of the raven

interacting intelligently with others, which in turn is integrated into Haida and Tlingit myths.

Raven Steals the Moon (Haida)

The sea nourished a tribe living off the coast, however, Raven being a lazy Trickster, begged the

people to give him their catch. People were kind, but quickly grew tired of his begging. They refused

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to give him more food and in a rage, he began to steal the fish right from their fishhooks. After

throwing rocks at him, the further enraged Raven stole the moon. The people were frightened,

knowing that the Trickster Raven had many powers. Unable to live without the moonlight, the people

struck a deal with Raven to continue feeding him lots of fish in exchange for returning the moon.

(Erdoes and Ortiz 1999)

This is another myth illustrating the ability of the raven to steal from animals, in this case

humans. Ravens are able to change behavioral characteristics based off of previous experience in

order to fully exploit their environment. There is a marked difference between urban and rural

ravens and crows, accredited to their ability to asses and adapt to different environments and,

importantly, different humans. Humans mold the behavior of these birds. Back in the 1970’s

students from the University of Wisconsin noted that ravens in rural areas had traumatic

experiences with humans shooting at them. They were frequently hunted by local farmers and

thus developed an exceptionally skittish demeanor in this area. “Persecution by people favors

shyness and avoidance by crows and ravens.” (Marzluff and Angell 2005:11). However, in areas

where ravens were not mistreated by humans, they were much more tolerant of people and

sometimes even learned to approach people for food.

Fig. 4. A raven reels in an ice fisherman’s line. This bird has learned to exploit human structures to obtain nutrition. (The

Fisherman: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LGT86dWvzFM/hqdefault.jpg)

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Unlike many animals, Corvus populations actually increase overall when near people,

rendering them human commensals or synanthropic birds (Kilham 1989). These opportunistic

birds have adapted to and prospered with people. “Urbanization” of ravens has been happening

worldwide for a long time. This is because of the ideal environments that humans create, laying

out a veritable buffet for ravens to steal. On the Northwest Coast, ravens developed a habit of

snatching salmon off of the fish drying racks. With a formal documented diet of over 1,000

items, ravens have adapted their sustenance to human environments (Stiehl 1978). Humans and

ravens have now become entangled in both food webs and cultural webs.

Fig. 5. This is a photo of a Makah salmon-drying rack adorned with a “scarecrow” in Neah Bay, Washington, 1900. This

demonstrates a human response to interactions with the crows and ravens in this area. “In Makah villages of the northwest

Washington coast, early responses to crows were controlled, for taboos often prevented killing crows and ravens.”

(Marzluff and Angell 2005: 285) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5L1_C4iC8E/T6qWmajVkQI/AAAAAAAAgrQ/

Hv1tYXbPPws/s720/21.jpg)

The ability to identify and exploit such a wide inventory of edible items calls for

intelligence, creativity, memory and curiosity. Furthermore, they do not just eat anything. They

have been documented to “search images” in order to attain optimal foraging (Savage 1995).

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Their foraging behavior is shaped by their experience, much like their social interactions with

humans throughout time.

Conclusion

Ravens are physically, intellectually, and spiritually powerful birds. The Haida and

Tlingit have long recognized this bird as comprised of perplexing contradictions. Viewing him as

both hero and trickster, they have developed the raven into a multi faceted personality with

emotion, intelligence, and selfish tendencies. Perhaps it is within this human-like mix of

characteristics that the Haida and Tlingit have been so culturally inspired by this species; the

raven provides a deep spiritual connection unlike any other animal. The raven has been

profoundly integrated into both mythological and ecological webs of these two groups. Because

of this connection, the raven has instilled in humans a reminder that it is foolish to assume

human dominion over nature, for Raven has tricked many a human and will continue to do so for

the rest of time.

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