A
deity from the
mythology of the
Northwest Coast people, known in
English as a
Trickster. This figure is the primary
god for the
Haida, a
First Nations people from a group of islands off the coast of
British Columbia called the
Haida Gwaii, now known as the
Queen Charlotte Islands.
In their stories, he is "both the ultimate
rebel and the foremost maker of
laws" (Claude Levi-Strauss, 1989) The Raven possesses immoderate appetites that were commonplace and allowed in
the Beginning, where everything is possible, but are no longer deemed acceptable now in
social life, where
rules have become necessary.
Therefore he is regarded as the
bridge between these two
worlds. The subsequent
consequences for his mistakes serve as reminders for
Haida children to behave, and serve also to symbolize the
unknown,
variable factor in everyday life.