THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RAVEN
NOVEMBER 23, 2024 – JANUARY 8, 2025
SANDRA AINSLEY GALLERY
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RAVEN
NOVEMBER 23, 2024 – JANUARY 8, 2025
Artwork by Preston Singletary Text by Garth Stein
Photo credit: Chloe Collyer
BIOGRAPHY
When I began working with glass in 1982, I had no idea that I'd be so connected to the material in the way that I am. It was only when I began to experiment with using designs from my Tlingit cultural heritage that my work began to take on a new purpose and direction.
Over time, my skill with the material of glass and traditional form line design has strengthened and evolved, allowing me to explore more fully my own relationship to both my culture and chosen medium This evolution, and subsequent commercial success, has positioned me as an influence on contemporary Indigenous art. Through teaching and collaborating in glass with other Native American, Maori, Hawaiian, and Australian Aboriginal artists, I've come to see that glass brings another dimension to Indigenous art. The artistic perspective of Indigenous people reflects a unique and vital visual language that has connections to the ancient codes and symbols of the land, and this interaction has informed and inspired my own work.
My work with glass transforms the notion that Native artists are only best when traditional materials are used. It has helped advocate on the behalf of all indigenous people -- affirming that we are still here -- that that we are declaring who we are through our art in connection to our culture.
My work continues to evolve and connect my personal cultural perspective to current modern art movements, and I have received much attention for striving to keep the work fresh and relevant I have been honored that my success has inspired other artists from underrepresented indigenous cultures to use glass and other non-traditional materials in their work and hope that I can continue to encourage more innovation in this area as my career progresses
- Preston Singletary
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RAVEN
Raven is featured in most of the ancient Tlingit stories. For the most part Raven brought order to the world in his actions He placed the stars, moon and sun in the sky, he shared water with the people and many other things. In these stories we find metaphors of life experiences reflected within them But at some point, Raven stopped doing things, or at least our narration of it ceased
In my new body of work I’m imagining that Raven has come back after sleeping for a long time. He does not recognize the world any longer and sets off on new adventures to discover what is going on now and trying to affect changes that are needed in the world He may be trying to take on climate change, protect the missing and murdered Indigenous women, or he discovered the Residential grave sites
For us Raven can be a spirit that still teaches us about the world and our place in it
Sometimes he is deliberate in his actions, and sometimes he fails, but he fails up!
In any case I hope that this will add to the cultural perspective as we reinvent Raven and his new adventures.
- Preston Singletary
PEACEFUL DREAMS
Heh.
He went to sleep, Raven did, and for a long time he slept. And while he slept, he had Dreams, and they were good Dreams Raven was the best dreamer of them all He dreamed of the sky, which was clear and endless He dreamed of the waters, which were clean and cold
He dreamed of the animals, who were uncorrupted by the smell of men ’ s hands, who had never tasted sugar but who had sipped honey from the comb. He dreamed of the World as it was before he went to sleep, as it was before it turned on itself with contempt and tore itself apart He dreamed of the Before World, which was as immaculate and true as the high breeze that holds the eagles in the sky The Before World with its magnificent salmon, bellies ripe to bursting with roe, hurling themselves upriver to spawn. The Before World with the music and the People, happy, contented People, satisfied by their abundance, grateful, generous, humble People Raven dreamed
Raven woke up then He woke up in his dream He was awake and not awake at the same time, which is what Raven can do. He looked around and was surprised to find himself surrounded by tall buildings. He was in a city of pavement and steel. “Hmm,” thought Raven.
“When did all this happen?” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, or maybe it was pitch that was in his eyes, because when he looked again, he saw a village as he remembered villages to be, with longhouses and trees. “Ah,” he thought. “There’s no place like home.” But when he blinked again, the buildings were back. “Ga!” Raven cried and he flew straight up into the air.
We know what Raven knows: the Dream world and the Waking world are not so far apart And sometimes Raven can be in one world and unintentionally step into the other world and then there can be real trouble. The rules of the Dream world can follow Raven into the Waking world and then. Heh. Then it’s no good because Raven makes all kinds of mischief when he brings the Dream world with him. Raven likes his mischief.
White Mist Raven 21H x 21W x 19D”
WHITE MIST RAVEN
Heh.
Now Raven wasn’t ready to go fix the world just yet. Raven was still hungry, and when he gazed into the lake to see if he could see any fish to eat, he saw a reflection of himself and he was very surprised to see himself looking as he did You see, Raven’s true color is silver, not black as people have come to know him He blackens his feathers so he can hide in the night, so nobody can see him. (It has been suggested by some people that it was the Old Man known as Petrel who turned Raven’s feathers black, but that claim is unsubstantiated and therefore not germane to this discussion.) When Raven is his true color, silver, he reflects all the light, like a mirror ball in a discotheque
Raven had been sleeping so long, he had molted and regrown a full coat of feathers and his new feathers were silver and beaming light all over the world and everybody laughed at Raven as he danced around like a glittering gem in the sun. Raven was not pleased; he thought he looked like Elvis in his Las Vegas days. He hopped down to the beach where the people lit bonfires every night He rolled in the charcoal left behind by the fires It didn’t take long for Raven to blacken his feathers again When he stopped sparkling like a star on a string, the people lost interest They stopped pointing and laughing, and they went about their business and left Raven alone, which was how Raven liked it. Except when he was hungry. Which was nearly always.
Land Otter on the River 255H x 95W x 3D”
LAND OTTER ON THE RIVER
Raven didn’t want to go into battle without an ally, so he visited the Kushtaka, the land otter people, who live where the breeze blows both ways. The land otter people were very powerful. In the beginning, when Raven named the birds and the animals of the forests and of the Underwater World and gave them their assignments, he gave the land otter the ability to change shape into that of any creature it wished With this power came a responsibility: the kushtaka were charged with watching over the waters and the forests for those who are lost and near death from exposure or drowning. The kushtaka saves these lost souls and adopts them into their clan.
Heh
Raven went to the kushtaka, who live on the point where the breeze blows from either side, and Raven feasted them so they would join him in a united front against those who make heat waves in oceans--fierce and powerful and unseen enemies, Raven warned the kushtaka, that demanded the attention of all. Those land otters, they called the other animal spirits, and the others came, because the kushtaka was neither friend nor foe, and that’s why they came when the kushtaka called, because there was no guile in the kushtaka call
Cry Harder 22H x 75W x 6D”
CRY HARDER
Raven went to find Petrel then, who is the old man who lives by himself in the woods and therefore must be considered both fascinating and suspicious at the same time, or, as the young people say: creepy “Petrel always has a treasure or two that can come in handy,” Raven thought to himself But when he found Petrel by his hut, Raven was surprised to find Petrel guarding his home furiously with a large stick “Stay away, Raven,” Petrel warned, swinging his stick “There is nothing for you here”
Now it is well known among the Tlingit that when someone says nothing is there, usually something is there. And when the something that is there is disguised as a nothing, usually that nothing-that-is-something is a something of value, otherwise known as a something-that-is-something. So Raven knew by Petrel’s insistence to the contrary, that whatever Petrel didn’t have was certainly something worth not having Or, in this case, something worth having “I have not come for anything but your companionship,” Raven said because, he thought, why tell the truth when you can tell a perfectly good lie? “Verily, I am weary and sad that the world has fallen into such a sorry state while I slept.”
Upon hearing Raven’s seemingly sincere plea, Petrel put down his stick and offered Raven a cup of water, which Raven drank greedily. “Ah,” Raven exclaimed ravenously. “Your water is so sweet, so cold, so clean. I have not tasted such delicious water since the time Before Since the Old Stories” “It is true,” Petrel preened “My water is the sweetest and best” “Where do you get this water?” Raven asked “Surely I would like to taste it from its very source, as that water must be the most exquisite water on Earth!” At this, Petrel retrieved his stick and swung it at Raven “Never!” he cried “Ha-ga!” “Relax Old Man,” Raven said, dodging the blow. “Keep your spring a secret, as long as you give me another cup of that delicious water.”
And so Raven drank and Petrel told him that his was the last source of the purest water on Earth and if people learned of its source, they would desecrate it. “I agree, Old Man,” Raven cawed “The only thing Man has contributed to our Earth is his foul stink and his excrement And funky music played by white boys”
Raven told Petrel of his adventures in the Waking World and how the water everywhere had been turned bad with chemicals and microplastics and all the living things on Earth were feeding their bodies and their souls with tainted water that was becoming a part of them and soon people’s bodies would freeze solid because of the chemicals and the microplastics. And Petrel laughed so hard at the idea of people freezing solid like plastic, like little toy soldiers frozen mid-stride, he laughed so hard that he farted And then he laughed so hard that he cried Raven cried too, then He fell to his hands and knees and
cried tears of joy and tears of pain, tears of elation, tears of despair and these tears down his face and splashed on the ground where they gathered with Petrel’s tears and made a stream, and that stream ran to the river and purified that water so it was clean again, and the river ran into the ocean and purified that water as well And lakes and rivers that mixed with the oceans of the Waking World were made pure by Raven’s tears and the tears of Petrel. The waters were made clean by the anguish and the ecstasy of the Spirits.
Heh
When it came time for sleep, Petrel made a bed out of moss in one corner of his hut “You sleep here, Raven,” said Petrel “And no tomfoolery!” “I don’t know Tom Foolery, but I hereby banish him from all future conflagrations,” said Raven. And so they slept. Now before Raven fell into his R.E.M. sleep, he had many thoughts, and one of those thoughts concerned one of Petrel’s hats, which sat on the ground opposite Raven, mocking Raven. And if you say a hat cannot mock someone, you are a tomfool.
This hat was a mocking hat For it was Petrel’s Fog Hat, which Petrel often used to torment Raven He used it once to follow Raven for days and days on end, trapping him in a dense fog When you are in a dense fog you see nothing but yourself You hear nothing but your own breathing and your own thoughts And people cannot see you! You are invisible inside of your fog. It is very bad for spiritual growth, which is dependent upon the kindness of strangers. “Well, now, ” thought Raven, pretending to sleep. “That’s a something to be had. But how?” Now Raven had fooled Petrel before, when he stole the water, which he immediately gave to the people so they would stop whining about being thirsty all the time. That was a good one. He used the old Dog-Poop/Your-Poop Switcheroo Maybe that would work again George W Bush famously said, “Fool me once, shame on you Fool me uh you can’t get fooled again!” an actual mockery of a travesty of a cliché And yet Petrel voted for George W, so Raven left the hut in the dark of night He found a mound of ripe dog poop near where the dogs slept He smeared that dog poop on Petrel’s behind while Petrel slept, and in the morning, as the sun was also rising, Petrel awakened to an awful smell!
“Old Man, your immense fart last evening was the calm before the storm!” cried Raven. “The storm has landed! You have soiled yourself in the night!” Petrel saw that he had, indeed, soiled himself in the night He leapt from his bed and ran to the river to wash off the excrement While he was washing himself, Raven took that Fog Hat He took it and put it on his head He turned himself into a bird then and he flew away “One day, Raven!” he heard Petrel shout at him as he flew away “One day, Raven! To the moon!” Raven always said: Petrel shakes a mean fist, but his sting is like butterfly’s kiss. Heh.
EAGLE SPREADS HIS WINGS
Heh.
Now Raven still didn’t know where he was going, but he had the tongue of a Yeti to give him power and he had Petrel’s Fog Hat So Raven walked down that road and into the woods, around the mountain that overlooks the river and back around to the other side where the roads come together until he reached a great meadow of lushness and growth, with grasses and wildflowers and butterflies and bees Raven marveled at the wonder of the meadow and the large broken building which stood nearby. “What is that building?” Raven asked aloud, and a flicker in a nearby tree answered him because flickers see everything, and they love to talk and talk and talk. “That is the Institute,” the little bird told Raven. “What does it do?” Raven asked Flicker.
“Nothing for a long time,” Flicker said “But before (not long enough ago some say), it was a place to send the Indians to make them White Kill the Indian, Save the Man (they say they said), but if the Man can’t be saved (the saying went, or so they say), then Kill the Indian and the Man-in-Him Too (they said they say), for no one needs a Man Who Is an In-di-an.” “You are a cipher, little bird,” Raven said. “Say what you mean, or I will eat you for lunch, for I am powerfully hungry.”
“They took the children from their families,” Flicker chirped. “They forbade the children to speak their native tongue or practice their native beliefs or grow their native hair There is great power in Native hair” “Oh, I know that!” Raven agreed vociferously “They broke open those children (you see),” said Flicker “They emptied their minds and their souls (we saw them, we see) and then they built them back as White people (all who see, see) and those they could not build back, they murdered and buried here, in this field.” Raven looked around him. “I don’t see any graves, ” he said.
“They left the graves unmarked,” Flicker said somberly. “Because they thought no one would see. But we see, Raven. Those of us who live here, who were born and raised here, we see the souls that are buried beneath this meadow The souls that haunt us (We see We see)” Raven felt them then, the souls He felt them grabbing for him Children crying, weeping, calling out to him, trying to grasp his talons, his wings Raven felt the mournful souls grabbing him, pulling him down He suddenly flew up into the air over the meadow
“My children,” he said. “I am overcome with sorrow for your condition; I will be swallowed by it. Let me go now so I may avenge you. Meanwhile, I will leave you with this.” Raven took the Fog Hat from beneath his wing and held it before him. In his other hand, he held the tongue of the Yeti spirit And with a magic known only by Raven, he imbued that hat with a haze of sorrow, and then he buried that hat in the garden next to the Institute, where it would take root and grow in somber intensity
Now Raven still didn’t know where he was going, but he had the tongue of a Yeti to give him power and he had Petrel’s Fog Hat So Raven walked down that “When people walk by your meadow, they will know,” said Raven. “They will feel the sorrow of a thousand lost souls bearing down on them. They will fall to their knees and weep in despair.” Raven was too sad to stay any longer. As he flew away, he saw Eagle circling majestically over the meadow where the Native children were buried in their unmarked graves Eagle alit atop a Sitka spruce tree
“What have you now, Raven, that makes you so sad?” asked Eagle “You act as if your children were taken from you, mistreated, abused, murdered, and left without being mourned.” “You are one of great perspicacity,” replied Raven, joining Eagle in the tree, and he told Eagle of the children’s souls in the meadow below.
Eagle listened to Raven’s story while betraying no emotion, for eagles are famous for betraying no emotion, even in times of great stress or grief. Eagle listened, and when Raven had finished, Eagle spoke “I will build an aviary here, in this spot” Eagle said “I will raise my children here, and they will raise their children here, for many generations to come We will watch over this meadow We will watch over the souls of the children buried here We will not allow them to be forgotten”
Eagle stood proudly and raised his wings as if to embrace the world. And Raven felt comforted by Eagle’s embrace; he wished that the children would be comforted as well.
Taku Wind Approx 275H x 24W x 17D"
TAKU WIND
Raven went home then, and he retrieved his most powerful fighting hat and placed it on his head, for he was ready to do battle with any demon necessary. His fighting hat was in the form of an eagle, which made Raven look fierce and powerful and tough. When Raven left his hut with his eagle fighting hat on, the young children who saw him were so frightened, they hid behind their mothers’ skirts Dogs cowered and whined The bravest of men wavered in their stride Raven was a fearsome fighter!
“I will call for my spirit helpers,” Raven proclaimed. He built himself a sweat lodge using branches and limbs. When the lodge was finished, the people built a fire and heated the stones and when the hot stones were ready, Raven went inside He sat in the smoke and intense heat of the sweat lodge for hours The stones grew cold and were replaced with hot ones by Raven’s people He sat in the sweat lodge for days And as he was nearing unconsciousness, Raven had visions of lights, blue lights dancing all around him.
These lights were the spirits of the ancestors who had come to give Raven guidance. The blue light spirits danced before Raven and told him things he should know And Raven called his spirit animals, his friends, and they came to him, they gathered, they imbued him with their power and Raven ascended and ascended until he was everything around us, he became all things, and his love for all things exuded from his whole spirit.
In the sweat lodge, the stones were cold The people looked inside Raven was not there He had vanished into another dimension, because when the Dream World and the Waking World mix, things like that happen
Raven Dreams of a Canoe
RAVEN DREAMS OF A CANOE
It is like this when Raven sleeps sometimes:
Sometimes, a dream strikes him on his head, like a canoe strikes a rock in a river; however, while the rock in the river remains unmoved, Raven is perturbed
Underwater Spirit 12H x 205W x 55D”
UNDERWATER SPIRIT
It is told in the Old Stories that Killer Whale often comes ashore and makes use of the land when no one is watching. The Old Stories tell of killer whales building fires and camping on the beach; it was not uncommon, in the Old Stories, to see an abandoned beach fire and, upon looking out to sea, notice a pod of killer whales swimming away, because they are very shy So Raven was not surprised when he stumbled upon a freshly abandoned fire on the beach and saw a black canoe heading toward shore Further, he was not surprised when that black canoe revealed itself to be a Killer Whale, who stepped out of the surf and approached him. “Alas, my friend,” said Raven. “You come to see me in my domain. You must have something important. You must have a problem” “I am here to broker a truce,” said Killer Whale “A truce between who and whom?” replied Raven
“Why, between you and us, Raven,” Killer Whale said. “We give up. Please stop the assault. We beg of you, set the terms of your treaty, tell us your demands, and we will capitulate entirely.” Raven was astonished. “But, friend, I don’t know about which you speak,” said Raven “When have I ever assaulted you?”
“Your attack has been prolonged and vicious,” said Killer Whale, adding, “and strategic and overwhelming. We are under constant attack from your evil troops. My people are afraid of you, ” Killer Whale said. “We can’t live with what you ’ ve done to our ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is but one example; the assault is on so many fronts: microplastics, heavy metals, warming trends truly, we have seen the desecration of our habitat!” “That’s as bad as it gets!” said Raven
“...And can we talk about how you and your people are destroying the salmon, our main source of food?” “Me?” said Raven. “That isn’t me! People are doing that!” “Yes, your people are the hideous troops you employ against us-” “They’re not my people! I hardly know them I have little to do with them!” “But you look like them!”
“Sometimes I look like them, that is true,” said Raven “And it is true that I am half-person on my mother’s side. But that doesn’t mean I am a chronic environmental abuser!”
“If you ’ re not helping, you ’ re hurting,” Killer Whale said. Is that true, wondered Raven? Do we live in such a world? Have we become so binary that if we are not actively helping, we are hurting? Either all that thinking or the bump from the canoe made Raven’s head hurt Heh.
LADDER TO THE OCEAN
Raven stood in a kelp forest beneath the waves. He swayed with the tangle of syrupy brown kelp trees that grew up around him, with their tentacle-like arms reaching upward toward the light and their floppy dog-tongue appendages drifting in the current And there, keeping them buoyant and erect, the kelp bulbs
Raven used a saw made of teeth to cut into one of the kelp bulbs and discovered a ladder inside that led down to the bottom of the ocean Raven climbed down that ladder and found a Killer Whale village on the ocean floor.It looked like a human village, with a long house and huts and killer whales swimming about like people strolling. Raven went inside the longhouse and saw there a killer whale who was entirely white an albino killer whale. All Tlingit know that the white specimen of any animal is one that has Supernatural power
“Raven,” Supernatural Killer Whale said, “what brings you to the bottom of the ocean?”
“As you may know,” Raven began, “ one of your people told me that you killer whales are quite upset about the state of the ocean, as well you should be.” “I am aware, ” Supernatural Killer Whale said.
“Yes,” Raven continued. “After further reflection, I have decided that your problems lie outside of my purview. You see, I think you have a false idea about me and the powers that I may or may not have You should think of me more as a First Mover I start the ball rolling on things, and then those balls roll wherever they wish And should those balls roll over things and break them or crush them flat, well, the balls are no longer in my control and so therefore, ipso facto, I bear no responsibility and therefore cannot be expected to fix those things that have been smashed flat and/or broken. I just want to state that for the record. And when I say ‘balls,’ you can substitute ‘people,’ or ‘humans.’ “Raven,” Supernatural Killer Whale said, “You are the yin to my yang. The up to my down. The hot to my cold, the fast to my slow. You are the other side of my coin. You are the man in my mirror, the me who is not me. ”
“I have no idea what you ’ re saying,” said Raven “We are separate, but we are the same, ” said Supernatural Killer Whale “What you do to me, you are doing to you ” “But I’m not doing anything to you or me!” Raven cried “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! It’s the People!” “And you created the People,” Supernatural Killer Whale retorted. “They are their own actors,” protested Raven. “I gave them free will!”
“A hunter gives his harpoon free will when he throws it, yet the intention is set by the hunter, not by the harpoon” “Oy,” Raven exclaimed “You are one tough customer!” “Keep searching, Raven,” said Supernatural Killer Whale “You’ll get there”
Heh
Fire & Ice Droplet,
WATER JOURNEY
The people had seen Raven then. When he returned to the Upper World, he was in the ocean, far from land. People were in a canoe, and they said, “Oh, Raven, we ’ ve been calling for you!” Raven said to the People, “I am hungry I cannot listen when I am hungry Feed me!” But the People did not offer their food, for there was no food to offer “We have not caught a single salmon this entire day!” they cried “How is this so?” asked Raven “Our salmon runs are dwindling Even the Killer Whales are complaining!” the People said “Oh, my!” cried Raven
“It’s worse!” wailed the People, tearing at their hair. “Our salmon now is raised from farms and is genetically modified, pale and sickly. Our fruit is sprayed with a chemical so it will never decay, yet the fruit has lost its flavor. And the snow crabs…the White man says there is a heatwave in the ocean, which is only something the White man can say (for surely, there were no oceanic heatwaves before the White man), and all the crabs are dead!”
Raven wept for his people then. He loved his people, for he made them out of leaves. He could have made them out of stone, and people would have lived forever. But Raven chose to make the people out of leaves so they would be born and live and die and return to the earth and be born again. Raven loves all people, even those who make heat waves at the bottom of oceans. Though he wished that was a problem he needn’t have to worry about
IN THE SPIRIT REALM
Now Raven knew of a great shaman who could teach Raven many things about the World and perhaps would give him a solution to the problem before him. So he ventured off into the woods, eventually arriving at a small hut with smoke trailing from the smoke hole Raven knocked and opened the door and stepped inside The air was warm and thick, and by the light of the fire, Raven could see the shaman dressed in his shaman garb with a skirt of cedar bark, a tattered smock of deer hides, and a crown of bear claws He was dancing, this shaman, and Raven wondered if word had already spread about his new invention called Dancing, or if he had unknowingly tapped into something universal, or if he was in a time warp.
On his face, the shaman wore a trance mask, further upsetting Raven, who regretted not taking quick action to trademark and exploit the whole Dancing thing dance halls, discotheques, marathons Raven never trusted a masked man, as masks conceal facial expressions and therefore limit non-verbal communication, which is mostly how meaning and nuance are conveyed
The masked shaman danced closer to Raven, and Raven could see life in the shaman’s eyeballs but nowhere else, and Raven was frightened. The shaman removed his trance mask and placed it on Raven’s face, and Raven fell under the power of the mask.
MADE TO HEAL
Shamanic magic is nothing to be trifled with. It is well known that the uninitiated, when attempting to harness the Power of the Spirits, is often driven mad, or worse. The shaman handed Raven a Soul Catcher, a powerful amulet used to extract the sickness out of an individual Thusly thrust into a shamanic state, thrust into a trance not of his own making, Raven began to dance “Dance, Black Bird Raven,” the shaman commanded “Dance!”
Loon 1375H x 17W x 8D”
LOON
Raven felt dazed and a bit confused, which he’d grown to accept as his new “resting” state: Dazed and Confused. For there are answers and there are questions, and there are solutions and there are problems, and very often these disparate things do not sort neatly into piles, and so one is forced to improvise Raven sat by a small lake whose waters were so clear and still, he could see straight to the bottom As he gazed into the water, he heard the spooky laugh of a loon as it sailed by “I am no danger to you, Loon,” said Raven, because he knew the loon giggle betrayed loon nerves Upon hearing this, Loon changed its call to a cheerful yodel and sailed up to Raven.
“Friend, Raven!” Loon hooted. “I see it is you! No need for me to fear Friend Raven, for I am not a clam!” Loon laughed at his own joke until his wavering call bounced off the nearby mountains
“You didn’t get that?” Loon asked, noting Raven’s daze and confusion “Because you love to eat clams” “I got it,” said Raven “And yet you ’ re not ” said Loon “Laughing Which is fine. I can tell you have a lot on your mind. Things around here have been very curious. Curious and exciting! I’m going to tell you about it, which will lift the darkness from your shoulders. Do you like my necklace?” Here, Loon swam a little circle to express some of his excitement.
“It’s new! And we all have them now! All of us have new, pretty necklaces What do you think?” Loon preened; Raven looked “Lovely,” said Raven “Ah, yes, Raven is very dark,” said Loon “The darkness is upon Raven and his sarcasm is bitter I’ll tell you how I got it anyway Do you know that Shaman from over there? I think you know him!” “I know him,” said Raven.
“After you saw him, you began to see things differently, did you not?” asked Loon. “It is true, pretty bird,” said Raven. “And now I must warn you that your mention of clams for lunch has hit home with me, for I am powerfully hungry and I also happen to have a good recipe for squab under glass, substitutions allowed” Loon gulped “It’s bad luck to eat the entertainment!” wailed Loon “That shaman over there was blind when I met him! Blind as a bat Blind as a tree!” “Indeed?” questioned Raven
“It is true! It is true!” confirmed Loon. “I took him for a ride on the lake, he climbed on my back, and I took him for a sail, and then I saw a fish in the clear water, and I was feeling a little hungry a feeling you know so well! so I decided to catch that fish. I told the Shaman to hold on, and I dove!”
“An anchovy?” asked Raven “A sardine? Was it packed in oil?” “I didn’t catch that fish,” continued Loon “It’s harder to dive with a Shaman on your back than you think! And I got a little fixated on the fish I think you know of what I speak, Friend Raven And I dove and I dove for that fish, but I never did catch him Yet each time I breached, I that old Shaman cackle with glee and cry out, ‘I can see! I can see!’”
“He could see?” asked Raven.
“He could!” Loon cried “Seven times, I dove Seven times his eyes were washed And after the seventh washing, that Shaman could see as clear as day! And he was so happy, he gave me this necklace Isn’t it pretty? And not just me, but all of us! He gave us all one of these necklaces Every Loon gets one, he said! They’re very pretty! Don’t you think they’re pretty?”
“Bananas,” said Raven.
“Bananas? Bananas? You think I’m bananas?” Loon wailed with a giggling waver at the end of his call. “Bananas? He can see! That Shaman. Could he not see? And you call me bananas?” “Not you, ” said Raven, trying to placate the agitated bird “The world is bananas I was saying, this world sure is a bananas place!”
“The world? The world is bananas?” Loon repeated with his bananas laugh Raven could see Loon was working himself into a state. “The world? The World? The World is bananas?” Loon repeated over and over. He swam in a circle and then took flight, calling to the others, to the mountains, that the world had gone bananas.
“You can always tell a Loon,” Raven said, as he watched Loon fly for the hills. “But you can’t tell him much”
Heh
IN COLLABORATION WITH JOE DAVID
Heron Spirit Helper 4025H x 8W x 6D”
HERON SPIRIT HELPER
Raven was tired and hungry. He began his long journey home where he could rest and reflect on his impressions of his last few days, his thoughts blowing around inside his head like fall leaves He passed by the marsh and saw Grey Heron standing among the reeds, looking so tall and calm and regal “Good afternoon, Gray Heron,” said Raven “I hope you are having a fine day”
“The key to a fine day,” began Heron, whose voice was as languid as his frame, “is not to expect more from the day than it has to offer.” “Interesting,” said Raven. “And maybe even true.” “It is true,” said Heron.
“But is it transferable?” Raven asked. “The key to a fine wine is not to expect more from your wine than it has to offer? Yes, that does transfer well, doesn’t it? The key to a fine life is not to expect more from life than it has to offer Again, flawless Watertight” “It is true,” said Heron
“You are a true philosopher and will take your place on the Mount Rushmore of Philosophy!” said Raven. “How is it that you can remain so calm while the world is going bananas around you?”
“I stand here on my own legs and feet,” explained Heron. “I do not need a crutch or a pillar to lean against As long as I can stand on my own feet, I am fine” “You are a lucky fellow indeed!” exclaimed Raven “And patient! You shall be my lucky charm” “It is true,” said Heron “It is true”
IN COLLABORATION WITH JOE DAVID
Heron Spirit Helper
4025H x 8W x 6D”
THUNDER EGG
Raven walked into a bar, carrying a thunderbird egg……….
PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
It is not likely that you will ever meet Raven, though he has met you. For when you sleep, you dream, and those dreams prevent you from venturing into Raven’s realm. But one day you may sample a fish roasted with Bear fat, or even with Raven fat, and the part of you that lives deeper than a dream may remember this story and you may be confused by your feeling of certainty that we are not separate and distinct individuals, but we are all things, we are all connected by the mycelium of our souls Like a mushroom, our human form is merely the fruit of the vast invisible web of spirituality that is our existence. And so, when Raven takes flight, he flies for us all. When Raven learns, he learns for us all. We have only to listen to the wind and listen to the rain to hear him calling to us, hoping that we will join him.
Tlingit Basket (Elderberry/White) 9H x 875W x 875D”
Tlingit Basket (Tea/Cedar) 10H x 12W x 12D”
Tlingit Basket (Teal/Blue) 13H x 1275W x 1275D”
