Day 156: In the legends of the Pacific Northwest's First People, it is told that when the world was new, it was entirely shrouded in darkness and it was cold. All the people and animals lived in misery, unable to see to hunt, unable to warm themselves. After a period of time, they gathered together to discuss what might be done to relieve their suffering. It was proposed that some one of them would go to the Sun to steal fire and bring it back to Earth, but no one, not even Coyote the Trickster, was brave enough to undertake the task. Raven, who at that time was a white bird, knew that he could gain stature with his fellows if he proved himself to be braver than Coyote, so at length he said that he would go. He flew for many days, feeling the increasing heat from the Sun until it became almost unbearable,but knowing he had a task to fulfill, he bore on until he reached his goal. He snatched a piece of fire from the Sun and flew away, but his feathers were burned black. When he returned to Earth, he gave the piece of fire to the other animals and the people, and thus became one of the principle characters of local legend.
Perhaps not so strangely, this story has a parallel among the Australian Aboriginal peoples. There, it was the clever Crows who got together to save their companions. They took long sticks in their beaks and pried up the edge of the great darkness, allowing light to creep in beneath its hem.
Today, the Crows brought both light and snow to the morning, reminding me of the legend as they gathered in the big Doug fir to await their daily tribute of dog kibble.
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