Raven Tales: Traditional Stories of Bayak, the Trickster

By Vickie Jensen and Jay Powell

These stories take place at the Time of Beginnings, back when animals were like human beings. They could talk and paddle canoes and lived in longhouses. Like other groups farther north along the Pacific coast, our stories have Raven as the main trickster character. He's called Bayak in our Quileute language. Native groups south of us have Bluejay as their trickster, while those in the interior of Washington and Oregon or parts of the Southwest feature Coyote in their traditional stories. Whether the trickster is Raven, Blue Jay or Coyote, he's a really important character.In the stories of other northern coastal groups, Raven can even change the world! He brings light to the people by creating the sun, moon, and stars, or causes the tides so people can harvest clams and other shellfish. To do this, he often transforms into a completely different shape, like a pine needle or a crying baby. But even if a trickster figure is powerful, he can also be really lazy. So he's always looking for the easy way to do things. He tries being a copycat and ends up getting into trouble. And because a trickster has human characteristics, he's often hungry, even greedy. That gets him into trouble, too! Proceeds from the sale of this book support culture and language programs of the Quileute Tribe.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1546333681
• ISBN13: 9781546333685
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 62 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.1" x 8.5"