Cultural Resource Department

The story of Raven and Crow

Did you Know?

Here is the story of the Raven and Crow by Nora Coonskin out of Bear River Ethnography by Gladys Nomland (1938) page 118:

Some people can understand crow language. Crow had a woman. She was Raven. They had a little boy. Raven put the baby in a basket. Crow went hunting deer and Raven took the baby basket and went hunting for mussels and seaweed. She set the baby down on the beach and began to hunt for mussels. Then she found sea eggs and they were so good that she ate sea eggs and ate sea eggs. She forgot all about the mussels and seaweed. The tide came up. She looked around; the baby basket was gone. She hunted and hunted for it and cried and cried. Her husband came back and found his wife gone. He looked for her and found her sitting behind a rock crying for the baby. The man looked and looked for the baby but could not find it. He said to the woman, “You’ve been eating sea eggs!” He whipped her with ironwood until she was all black and he killed her. His brother-in-law came along and the husband told him that he had killed his wife because she ate sea eggs and lost the baby. The brother-in-law whipped the husband until he turned black, and that’s why raven and crow are black.

The language book has been completed and is available at the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (EPA) house 30. We will get it in the mail to Tribal members soon (one per household) but if you want a copy now just stop by or call (707-733-1900 x233) and we will get you one.

The Tribal Historic Preservation Office has a new technician to help with the Museum grant:

The council approved Bill Robinson. Being a quick article this month we will provide a quick overview of the past month and some photos. We have been working diligently on the museum and language grants and finishing up some contract reports. Again, any photos you want preserved, send in the originals (we will return them) or copies to:

Nick Angeloff
THPO
Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
27 Bear River Drive
Loleta, CA 95551

Here are some of the photos we have collected so far:

Wiyot House, Wiyot Basket of Burden, Ike Duncan Mattole, Joe Duncan Mattole, Mrs. Prince, and John Stevens.

The Cultural Resource Department has been awarded three grants:

1. Tribal Historic Preservation Office status through the National Park Service is a perpetual annual grant to fund Bear River’s Historic Preservation Program.
2. A language grant from North Coast Indian Development Council to have a linguist(s) speak Wiyot/ Bear River/ Mattole words associated with fishing into a recorder and create a picture book of the items associated with that word- numbered sequentially. Hopefully this will promote the use of these languages. All tribal members will receive a copy when the project is completed (end of February?)
3. A museum grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to digitize historic documents and create two exhibits over the next year to be displayed in the Community Center.

The museum grant needs a staff member to help with the downloading of the documents and the creation of the exhibits; if you are interested apply at the Cultural Resource Department or send a resume:

Nick Angeloff
27 Bear River Drive
Loleta, CA 95551

Needless to say we are very busy and will be through the winter.