Nine Tales of Raven

There was once a time, before the coming of people, when animals ruled the earth and, through their supernatural powers, changed to human form at will. That is what the Indians of our Northwest say, and around their council fires they still tell stories about their animal ancestors, and about the wonderful miracles (as well as the mischief) they accomplished by means of their knowledge of magic. These stories are part of the creation cycle, passed on by word of mouth from the Alaskan Eskimos, through the Canadian Indians, to the tribes in Washington and Oregon. And Fran Martin has recorded some of the best of them from versions told to her by the Indians themselves, who still keep alive, from generation to generation, the folklore of their people.