Carpe Diem #466, Raven (Native American)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Here it is our delayed post. Today we are entering the realm of the Native American Tribes and their folktales, myths, legends and saga. There are a lot of different tribes and at the base they have all the same tales, some of course with other nuances, but over all mostly the same.

Today our prompt is Raven, the Creator of the Earth as Native American tales tell us. There are numerous tales about this Creator, but I love to share just one of these.

RAVEN THE CREATOR

The name of Raven is Kit-ka’ositiyi-qa-yit (“Son of Kit-ka’ositiyiqa).  Raven was instructed from birth by his father in every subject so that the raven could make a world; after trying many different ways, the raven was finally successful.  The raven started out by creating light.  Raven had heard that there was a very rich man living atop a hill who had light but did not let it out for the world to see.  Raven tried many ways to get into the house so that he could obtain the light and finally devised a plan that would work.  Raven transformed himself into a speck of dirt and placed himself in a glass of water from which the man’s daughter was drinking.  The girl drank the speck of dirt and in this way became pregnant.
Some time later a child was born and this child was possessed by Raven.  When Raven had the strength to crawl around the house he found the shelf where the man had his treasures on display.  Raven cried intensely for the objects on the shelf and eventually the man pulled down his bag of stars and allowed the child to play with it.  Raven rolled the stars around on the ground for a while and then, when he was given the opportunity, allowed them to go up the smoke hole where they scattered into the sky in the arrangement which you now see them in today.
The next day the boy cried for more of the things on the shelf and was given a bag which contained the moon.  Raven played with the moon and in the same fashion as the stars he let the moon up the smoke hole and it went into the sky for all to see.  On the third day the boy cried very intensely for the final object on the shelf and the man, knowing what would happen, but unable to refuse his grandson, gave him the box that contained the sun.  As soon as Raven had this he flew up the smoke hole with the box having stolen all the man’s valuables.  Raven did not yet release the sun.
Raven shortly thereafter was told of a well with a never-ending supply of water.  Raven went to the place where the well was and learned that the man who owned the well kept it covered and never left its side. He even built his house around the well and slept by it so that no one else could drink from it.  Once again Raven began to scheme a plan to get this water.

Credits: Raven

Raven disguised himself as the man’s brother-in-law and went to the man telling him they he would stay the night with him.  Both went to sleep and in the early morning Raven woke up and went away from the well.  When Raven returned he brought with him dog dung and put it on the sleeping man’s buttocks.  Raven awoke the man and showed the man the accident he had had in the night.  The man embarrassed and in need to clean up, ran out of the house to clean up.
By the time the man came back, Raven had drunk up nearly all the water.  Raven flew out the smoke hole away from the man but got stuck.  The man commenced with making a fire under Raven to make smoke and this smoke turned the raven the color we are accustomed to seeing it today (before that, Raven was pure white).  Raven finally escaped and flew out over the land spitting water here and there creating the great rivers of the world.  Whenever small drops of water leaked from his beak they created the small creeks.
When Raven happened upon a village where any beings lived, he was asked if he came from the house where the sun was kept.  Raven pulled out the box and opened it just enough to let a bit of light out as he was proud of his accomplishment.  The people were thrown back by this bright light and then began to fight with Raven to get the box. Raven was unnerved by this so he opened the box all the way and the sun shot up into the sky.  The beings of this village were then transformed into the animals whose skin they were wearing and ran off into the forest and into the oceans.  In this manner the sun was brought into the world and the forests and oceans were populated with  game.
Raven is credited for many other gifts and curses to man but the “creation” of the stars, moon, rivers, and sun are the most essential and universally believed myths amongst North American Indians.(Source: http://judsonlmoore.com/lsu/the-raven-in-native-american-mythology/)
Well ... I hope you did like this creation-story and that it will inspire you all to write new haiku. This delayed episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 16th at noon. For now ... have fun !!