Raven and the Mountain That Blocked the River

Long ago, the River People lived in harmony with the land. Every year, the red salmon returned, filling the river with life and feeding the people through the long winters. But one year, the salmon did not come.

The people waited. They sang their songs, made offerings to the river, and prayed to Raven, the wise one who had always brought the salmon to them. But the water remained empty.

Some whispered that Coyote was angry.

Coyote, the trickster, had seen the world change. A new kind of man had come to the land, men who did not listen to the wind, did not thank the water, and did not walk with care. They built without asking and took without giving.

Coyote growled deep in his belly, and the earth began to shake. The mountains rumbled, and a great cliff broke loose, tumbling down into the river. The rocks crashed like thunder, piling high until the water could no longer flow. The river was blocked, and the salmon could not return.

The River People cried out in hunger.

High above, Raven watched. His black robe shimmered in the sun, for it was not just feathers—it was made from the skins of the red salmon, each one shining among the darkness like tiny flames.

He heard the cries of his people and felt their pain.

“I must help them,” Raven cawed.

With his mighty wings, he soared over the fallen mountain. The rocks were tall, but Raven was strong. He climbed to the very top and looked down at the river, where the salmon were trapped on the other side, desperate to return home.

Raven spread his wings wide and shook his robe.

WHOOSH!

Like falling stars, the salmon skins flew from his feathers and tumbled down into the river. As they touched the water, they became real salmon once more, their bodies twisting and turning as they swam past the blockade, free at last.

The river filled with shimmering red, and the people rejoiced!

But Raven kept one salmon for himself, tucking it into his feathers. "This one will remind me," he said, "that I must always watch over the River People."

And so, to this day, when you see a Raven by the river, know that he is watching, listening—waiting to help, should the salmon ever be lost again.

The End.