Tricksters. Raven and the Rock

For this week of Raven, I was really excited to see that the Internet Archive has a copy of this book available for borrowing: Raven and the Rock: Storytelling in Chukotka by Kira van Deusen.

Chukotka is located in the far northeast of Siberia, and Kira van Deusen recorded stories there in 1993 and 1994 as told by Chukchi and Yupik storytellers, with a focus on Raven the trickster. This book contains 25 of those stories that van Deusen has translated into English, organized by the individual storytellers, which include both women and men. The storytellers told the stories to her twice, both in their native language (Chuckhi or Yupik) and also in Russian, although some of the younger storytellers spoke only Russian, and two of the elder storytellers did not speak Russian, so their stories were translated by others present at the storytelling event. There are photographs to help give a visual sense to the storytellers' world, and there is also a motif analysis in the back of the book to assist in comparing the stories to one another and connecting them to other storytelling traditions. As van Deusen explains in the introduction, she sees her role as providing context, not in interpreting the stories: "I believe it is important simply to present the stories in context and allow them to speak for themselves."

While some scholars have seen an opposition between trickster and shamanic traditions, van Deusen finds them working in tandem here: "The trickster is an important figure in many magic tales, offering a humorous view of the unpredictability of life and human foibles. Laughter raises energy for shamanic ceremonies, confirming a kind of earthiness in voyages to other worlds."

So, this book is a brilliant opportunity to explore the powers of Raven and also to learn about these indigenous peoples of Siberia, the Chukchi people and the Yupik people. So much to learn from and enjoy here!

Raven and the Rock: Storytelling in Chukotka

by Kira van Deusen