Creation myths and stories exist in all cultures and religions around the world. We have always wanted to know from where we came. It was originally an oral tradition of storytelling, so there would have been many versions although the essence was always the same. The stories are symbolic and sacred, and show how the world emerged out of chaos and how the first peoples came into being. They often speak of transformation, both physical and of the spirit, and have deep meaning to the different cultures to which they belong.
The DreamTime presents various creation stories from around the world, illustrating the universality of all human beings and how they define their place in time and history.
The Haida
This creation story is from the Haida, an indigenous tribal group in
the Pacific Northwest of Canada on the archipelago of Haida Gwaii, the
Queen Charlotte Islands. It is a mystical area of coastal rainforest
which is home to many wildlife species. Before the first contact with
Europeans, the peoples developed a culture enriched by the abundance of
the land and the sea. Human habitation on the islands has been recorded
as far back as 13,000 years.
This is one variation of how Raven created the world. To the Haida, Raven was the Bringer of Light. He was the maker of things, the transformer, the healer and the magician. He had other more mischievous attributes – his insatiable curiosity, his innate need to play tricks, and to provoke and meddle with the world and its creatures.
The Haida continue to live on the west coast, on the stormy shores between the land and the sea, honouring their ancestors and traditions.
“Our culture is born of respect, and intimacy with the land and sea and the air around us. Like the forests, the roots of our people are intertwined such that the greatest troubles cannot overcome us. We owe our existence to Haida Gwaii. The living generation accepts the responsibility to ensure that our heritage is passed on to following generations.”
(Council of the Haida Nation)
Raven Creates the World
The world was covered by water. When Raven became hungry the waters receded and land was formed so that he could find food. Raven flew about looking for a place to land and spied a seemingly empty beach. There was nothing to eat, and nothing with which to play tricks. He sighed and walked up and down looking for any sign of movement. The mountains, the land, the sea, the sun, the moon and the stars – all that he had created was very beautiful, but there was no life. He cried out in frustration to the empty sky, but before the echoes of his cry faded he heard strange sounds coming from Clamshell, half-buried in the sand.
Peering into the opening he saw several tiny creatures cowering in fear. He was filled with joy, as here were creatures to play with; he was no longer alone. Now, how to get them out? Here his trickster nature asserted itself and Raven began to sing to Clamshell, thinking to tempt the little creatures out. Raven has two voices – the loud and piercing caaaw-caaaw, and a sweet crooning voice that seems to come from the depths of the sea, or from the caves where the wind is born, an irresistible and seductive sound. This is how he sang to Clamshell.
Slowly one of the strange creatures emerged.
It had two legs like Raven, arms,
pale skin and long black hair on a round head,
but no beak and no feathers.
These were the First People.
Slowly one of the strange creatures emerged. It had two legs like Raven, arms, pale skin and long black hair on a round head, but no beak and no feathers. These were the First People. Their curiosity aroused, the others slowly emerged.
Raven played with them for a long time, teaching them tricks and
enjoying their wonder at this new world. They were very active and would
fight with each other as well as help each other. But Raven was easily
bored and he soon tired of their ceaseless activity and their
helplessness. They were small and fearful and needed looking after and
shelter from the sun and the rain. There were only boys, no girls. He
was ready to tuck these annoying creatures back in their shell when he
had an idea to prolong the fun.
“Somewhere there must be girls,” he thought. “After all, it is the way that there are both females and males of every creature.” So he began his search. He looked everywhere, under rocks and logs, but he could not find where any girls were hiding. As the tide was reached its lowest point, Raven spied huge Chitons clinging tightly to the rocks. He pried one loose with his beak, and there he found a girl of the First People underneath its shell. Each Chiton held a girl, and they were like the creatures from Clam but soft and round. They were frightened of Raven, and he had difficulty gathering them on his back.
When he brought them to the boys, he thought they would be happy and excited, but to his surprise they ran away, some of them even going back inside Clamshell! The girls were shy and fearful, huddling together and watching the boys with curious eyes. They all became modest and covered their bodies with kelp and seaweed.
The boys also became embarrassed and confused by feelings they had not had before and didn’t know what to do. Some began to show off the tricks they had been taught, running and wrestling to get the attention of the girls. Some of the girls overcame their shyness, and from their quick glances the boys were encouraged to approach them. The two groups came together and overcoming all their fears they walked off hand in hand, absorbed in each other.
Raven was amazed as he watched all this unusual behaviour with great interest. The boys were proud, strong and athletic and the girls were soft and gentle. If the boys were rough, there would be tears in the eyes of the girls. Then these tears would bring out the protective instincts in the boys. Their strengths brought balance to each other’s weaknesses.
Since then, Raven has been fascinated and never bored, though he may have sometimes regretted bringing the first men and women together. From Clam and Chiton, from the pairings of the First People came the first families. Many generations have succeeded each other, at times with more success than others. Some say that Raven played a big joke on humanity, with the complexity of human relationships of male and female energies that are needed to survive a life on earth.
Story retold by CHRISTINE PRISLAND
Illustration by AMANDA EPSY
