![Yup'ik Raven Yup'ik Raven](http://ankn.uaf.edu/Resources/file.php/16/yupik.gif)
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A Story of Raven - Other Raven Yupik and Inupiat Tales:A Story of
Raven
It is said a very long time ago Raven used to eat people because they were so easy to trick. One day, while flying over the arctic coastline, Raven saw a small village. He was very hungry so he made a plan to get food to eat. He flew low over the village screaming, "Your enemies are coming! Your enemies are coming!" All of the men ran out of their igloos with their spears in hand and asked the great bird what they should do. Raven landed on top of a cache and addressed the men, "You must surprise them before they reach your village. Go and make camp at the foot of the cliff and wait for them in the morning." The unsuspecting men thanked Raven and set out for the cliff's base to ambush the attackers in the morning as he had said to do. When they arrived that night they built shelter at the foot of the steep cliff where Raven had told them to go to. Later that night, after the men had discussed their plans and strategies, their seal oil lamps were extinguished and they all went to sleep. When it was dark and the men were asleep, Raven flew to the top of the cliff high above the small camp and landed on an enormous overhang of heavy snow. Raven knew that the great load of snow was ready to fall with only the slightest encouragement, and so he proceeded to jump up an down on it. After a few jumps, the overhang collapsed and avalanched down upon the sleeping men. They were completely buried alive by the heavy snow load! The snow was very deep, and because Raven was lazy and didn't want to work to dig the dead men out so he could eat them, he waited until spring when the snow melted. Then he returned to eat them all. Raven was very pleased that he would have so much meat to eat. He especially liked to peck out the eyes of the victims and then eat the eyeballs. For the entire spring he stayed there at the bottom of the cliff gorging himself on the warriors who had listened to his trickery and deceit. | |
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