Raven

These spirits and deities were worshipped by the many Native peoples of North America, from the Lakota to the Navajo and Iroquois. Their beliefs bind humans to the Great Spirit, to totem animals, and to balance with the land. Passed down orally, they survive in the Indigenous nations that endured colonization.

The Sun Dance gathered the Plains nations in fasting and sacrifice around the sacred tree. The Hopi dance with the kachinas, masked spirits of the rains, and the sacred pipe seals prayers and treaties — ceremonies still alive in today's nations.

Raven is the great creator-trickster of the Northwest Coast peoples, such as the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian. Clever, gluttonous and shape-shifting, he brought light into the world, filled the rivers with fish and shaped humanity, always driven by his own desires. He is culture hero and trickster in a single body of black feathers. As The Thief of Light, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the Native American pantheon. Their domains over Creation, Cunning & Transformation reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

The black raven, the box of light, the freed sun and the totem pole

Central figure of the Raven clans in the social organization of the Northwest Coast.

In the beginning the world was dark, for a selfish old man kept the sun, the moon and the stars in boxes. Raven turned himself into a pine needle, was swallowed by the elder's daughter and was reborn as his grandson, thus gaining entry to the house. Little by little he coaxed the grandfather into opening the boxes, and as he released the light he flew out through the smoke-hole — which is why his once-white feathers turned black forever. During the great age of Native American myths, Raven performed extraordinary deeds defending cosmic balance against forces of destruction. It is told that when an ancestral threat emerged from the ends of the world, Raven wielded power over Creation, Cunning & Transformation, summoning divine elements and turning the tide of battle. Ancient bards and poets sang the glory of this combat, highlighting the wisdom and bravery demonstrated before the assembled gods themselves. The triumph consolidated their eternal authority and sealed an inviolable pact of protection over mortal realms, remembered across all subsequent generations.

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the Native American recounts the journey when Raven intervened directly in the lives of mortals. During a period of great trial, when droughts and chaos threatened the survival of ancient cities, Raven descended from the heavens disguised among men to test humanity's virtue and generosity. Only a humble family welcomed the mysterious traveler, offering their last meal with devotion and respect. Revealing their true resplendent form as The Thief of Light, Raven blessed the region with perpetual abundance and raised a sacred spring that never dried again. This epic saga became a symbol of divine justice and the reward reserved for those who maintain faith and nobility of spirit even in times of greatest darkness.

Historically, the cult of Raven occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity. Imposing stone temples and open-air sanctuaries were erected in their honor in the major capitals of the Native American, adorned with detailed reliefs and monumental columns. Annually, great public festivals gathered thousands of pilgrims who held solemn processions, lit sacred torches, and chanted communal hymns celebrating harvests and military victories. Priests and priestesses of ancient orders dedicated their lives to preserving the sacred flame and guarding the temple's manuscripts and relics. Contemporary archaeological excavations continue to reveal votive altars, commemorative coins, and architectural innovations testifying to the deep historical veneration of this deity.

The box in which the miserly elder kept the sun, the moon and the stars, until Raven stole it for the world.

In Northwest Coast stories, Raven rarely creates out of kindness: almost always the world improves as a side effect of his greed or his pranks. In modern astronomy and science, Raven's name and symbols inspired the naming of celestial bodies and geological formations on other planets. Furthermore, their artistic depiction influenced Renaissance painters and Neoclassical sculptors, remaining an iconic figure in contemporary cinema, literature, and video games.