The Haida are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their national territories lie along the west coast of Canada and include parts of south east Alaska. Within Haida mythology, Raven is a central character, as he is for many of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. While frequently described as a "trickster", Haidas believe Raven or Yelth or Hoya to be a complex reflection of one's own self. Raven can be a magician, a transformer, a potent creative force, sexual deviant or ravenous debaucher but always a cultural hero. He is responsible for creating Haida Gwaii, releasing the sun from its tiny box and making the stars and the moon. In one story he released the first humans from a cockle shell on the beach; in another story he brought the first humans up o