Raven Brings the Light

Publisher's description (Harbour Publishing, 2013): 
In a time when darkness covered the land, a boy named Weget is born who is destined to bring the light. With the gift of a raven's skin that allows him to fly as well as transform, Weget turns into a bird and journeys from Haida Gwaii into the sky. There he finds the Chief of the Heavens who keeps the light in a box. By transforming himself into a pine needle, clever Weget tricks the Chief and escapes with the daylight back down to Earth. 

Vividly portrayed through the art of Roy Henry Vickers, Weget's story has been passed down for generations. The tale has been traced back at least 3,000 years by archeologists who have found images of Weget's journey in petroglyphs on the Nass and Skeena rivers. This version of the story originates from one told to the author by Chester Bolton, Chief of the Ravens, from the village of Kitkatla around 1975.

Creator biographies (Harbour Publishing): 
Lucky Budd holds an MA in history and has digitized many high-profile oral history collections including that of the Nisga'a First Nation. In addition to co-authoring the award-winning First West Coast Book series and Northwest Coast Legends series, he is also the author of Voices of British Columbia (Douglas & McIntyre, 2010)—a bestseller which was shortlisted for the 2011 Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award—and its sequel, Echoes of British Columbia (2014). He currently lives in Victoria, BC. 

Roy Henry Vickers is a renowned carver, painter, printmaker and storyteller. He is the illustrator and co-author of Harbour Publishing’s popular children’s First West Coast Book series and Northwest Coast Legends series, the latter of which were all shortlisted for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award: Raven Brings the Light in 2014, Cloudwalker in 2015, Orca Chief in 2016 and Peace Dancer in 2017. His other books include Storyteller (2014) and Voices from the Skeena (2019). He lives in Hazelton, BC.

Resource format: Picturebook

Age recommendation: Grades 3 - 7

Keywords: Kitkatla, generational stories, Haida Gwaii, Elders, growing, oral stories, generations, creation, land, land creation, Skeena, rivers, daylight, trickster, Salmon people, West Coast, Northwest Coast, weget, big baby, foretold, cedar, light, raven skin, fly, island, fish, gifts, courage, Ksien, fish eggs, seeds, hole in the heavens, patience, provide, daylight ball, baby, play, frogs, hunger, fireweed, salmon berries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, 

Year of publication: 2013

Publisher information: Harbour Publishing