Raven is what you would call the "trickster" of Native American folklore. He can assume whatever form or shape he wants, and he uses this power to trick and irk humans. Raven symbolizes metamorphism and transformation. The story goes Raven found the first human in a clam shell, and he fed them berries and salmon. The Raven was not always believed to be kind to the humans. Apparently the Raven used to alert the buffalo of approaching hunters, and the buffalo stampeded. The hungry hunters were so angry they threw the then white raven into a fire, and that's how Raven got his charcoal color.
