RAVEN HELPS SALMON TO SWIM, Etching, 5 inch x 8 inch,

RAVEN HELPS SALMON TO SWIM, Etching, 5 inch x 8 inch,

Illustration for the Book "In The Shadow Of Mountains" by John Smelcer

Raven is a "trickster" in Native American stories and myths, especially in the Northwest region of North America. He's sometimes a hero, a troublemaker, a glutton, a buffoon, a destroyer, or a creator. The Trickster alternately scandalizes, disgusts, amuses, disrupts, chastises, and humiliates (or is humiliated by) humans. With his inherent energies and cunning, he also is a creative force, transforming the world, sometimes in bizarre and outrageous ways. In nature, the raven scavenges for food, and because of this, he represents the most basic instincts. In some narratives, he is the evil antagonist, the “Devil”; he is also the “Creator”, the father of mankind, and a potent conductor of spiritual forces in the form of sacred dreams.

In this instance, Raven shows kindness