Ravenous beauty

Sculptures by Peter Woytuk, Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM. Photos by C. Langrall

When I think of ravens, I get a slight chill thinking about Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem. The bird is like a death messenger of love to me, and each time I see one, I start worrying about what break-ups and bad fortune might befall me or my family. It doesn't help that their crow cousins received the malicious moniker of "murder." Yes, a murder of crows fits right in with Poe's cruel raven spewing "nevermore" as he pines for his dearest Lenore.


But I am a neglected beauty hunter not a poet, and after spotting ravens in both Baltimore and now Santa Fe, (trying hard not to be paranoid), I thought there's got to be more to this big black bird than his unfortunate literary rap sheet. Lucky for me when I moved out west, I discovered exactly that.


Local Native Americans have maintained for centuries that the raven is nothing like Poe's depressing depiction (or the east coast's opinion in general). Instead, he is a spiritual creature rich in positive symbolism, worthy of honor and respect. This is apparent in the many forms of raven worship in art and literature all over the Southwest.


After doing some more digging, I discovered some raven facts that were surprising. For starters, ravens are the largest birds in the crow family and the most intelligent in the bird kingdom, according to John James Audubon's Birds of America. They can live for more than thirty years and can even be taught to speak as they have a wide range of complex sounds and communication skills. When they breed they stay with their fledglings for six months (so there is a soft side after all). Even though some farmers may disagree, ravens can be more helpful than harmful, cleaning up remains of dead animals and taking care of agricultural pests such as caterpillars, grub and worms. You could say the raven is a "green" bird that helps the environment clean up after itself.


In terms of his role in Native American folklore, I spoke with several local tribal representatives who shared some stories. The Hopi, Zuni and Navajo tribes believe that the raven is one of the good guys...a messenger spirit that shamans use to project magic over great distances. It flew from the darkness of the cosmos to bring light to the earth. They consider it a magical bird that carries messages from our ancestors to help and protect us. As the keeper of secrets, native tribes believed the raven assists us in finding answers to our own hidden thoughts and ideas that we are unwilling to face. He delivers truth and restores us to health and harmony through metamorphosis and inner change.

All positive stuff there.


It seems the bird takes on a darker role as it flies north. Natives of both the Pacific Northwest and Northeast consider the raven a trickster when observing it steal food from under the noses of other animals, often working in pairs. According to some folklore, he is associated with death and could become a shape-shifter for witches and the devil.

Sounds more like more doom and gloom than magic. He is menacing, but his intelligence and communication abilities may outweigh his bad habits. And maybe we could put these talents to good use. Joshua Klein came up with a rather brilliant idea to use ravens and crows to help clean up the environment:http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html


Seeing the raven revered in the Southwest, I no longer look at him as a love-killer or bad-omen. After all, I am surrounded by his presence even in my own front yard. Each morning, the same raven cruises down past my adobe, squawking and cawing. Maybe he's sending me a message from my dead relatives or just complaining about the lack of food. Or maybe he’s making fun of my hometown football team's latest defeat, the Ravens (surprised?). In any case, instead of taking cover and ruminating about death for hours, I now welcome this chatty, neglectedly beautiful bird as a bearer of more light than dark. And that makes me very happy.

Raven Sculptures by:

at Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM

References:
Susa Morgan Black

All photos taken and property of: C. Langrall