People have always wanted to know what their origins are. All cultures have stories and myths that try to explain where the Earth and people come from. The Bering Strait Eskimo Creation Myth is also about the creation of our planet Earth, people, animals, birds, plants and everything that is here. The myth clearly shows that the Eskimo culture is different from other religions and cultures, though there are also some common things with the world creation myths of other nationalities.
In the Bering Strait Eskimo Creation Myth, the half-human creature with a mask of a raven is a kind of God who is in charge of everything. The myth does not explain what the origin of the Raven is. The only thing we know is that he has created the world and the mankind. A first human dropped on the Earth out of a pea-pod. The most interesting thing is that the Raven is surprised to see a man, so he does not realize what he has actually done. He asks a lot of questions to the creature he does not expect to see. The creator does not know that he has not only made the vine, but has given life to a human race. This fact makes the Bering Strait Eskimo creation myth different from similar stories of other nationalities in which people are created by some supreme power on purpose.
On creating the first person, the Raven decides to make some animals using sand and other materials that he can find nearby. He flaps his wings on them and they come to life. After that, he continues making things that can bring joy to a man, such as the mountain goats or fish. He really cares about the animals and wants to protect them. So, he sends the sheep to high mountains because he is afraid they will be killed.
The Raven does not want the man to feel lonely, so he even takes some grass and mud to get a pretty young woman. He wants her to be a companion of a man, so he makes her very much alike him. This is the plot of many religious legends and myths. A person cannot be alone, so some power should always help to create a partner to the first man on the Earth. It takes several days to create all possible plants, animals, birds and things to make the world around the man and the woman bright and colorful.
Doing things that please the man makes the Raven really happy. He even gives life to mice. He says that they cannot be eaten, but they will stir the ground and the man will not be bored. Besides, this will make the crops much better. The Raven does everything he can to make the people’s lives as comfortable as possible. He brings four salmonberries and heath berries to the man and the woman to feed them. He gives a lot of pieces of advice to people. He tells them everything about caribou, beavers, graylings and other animals since they will have to live together in one area. He also warns the people against the bears, the most dangerous animals.
The Raven Myth does not provide any scientific explanations of how the people appeared or the world began. It is not a historical source. It only shows the hopes, beliefs, fears and values of the traditional Eskimo culture. It is really interesting to get to know how ancient people tried to understand the world around them and handed their myths down from generation to generation.