Raven
Kwakwaka'wakw · deity · mythic primordial · Recorded classification
Classed as a deity; a culture-hero/transformer cognate with Haida Yáahl and Tlingit Yéil. Boas's extensive Kwakwaka'wakw corpus is the principal documentation.
Domains
- light and fire
- tides and sea bounty
Powers
- bring the sun, moon, and fire to people
- steal and release the sun, moon, and daylight from their hoarders
- release the salmon and set the rhythm of the tides
- change his shape to deceive and to transform the primordial world
Epithets
- U'meł Raven (the transformer)Franz Boas, Kwakiutl Tales (secondary)
Sources
- U'melth is the Kwakwaka'wakw Raven who brought people the moon, fire, salmon, the sun, and the tides.: Boas, Franz. The Religion of the Kwakiutl Indians, 1930. (secondary); Boas, Franz. Kwakiutl Tales, 1910. (secondary)