This was part of a larger group project in my third year at OCADU where we each decided on a section of the story to complete. We first began by splitting the tale into scenes, and then individually choosing transitions to end our parts on so that the animation moved smoothly from scene to scene.

The Raven Steals the Sun is a First Nations tale by the Haida people regarding the origin of the sun. This story begins with a Raven that is tired of living in a world of darkness when he makes a sudden discovery. The sun was being kept away by a man who lived with his daughter. So, the Raven decides on a plan to steal it. While the man’s daughter collects water from the river with her bucket, the Raven transforms into a needle and falls into it. As she drinks the water, she swallows the needle, and the Raven turns into a baby in her stomach. The daughter eventually gives birth to the Raven, appearing humanoid, who grows as a boy over the years. Eventually, he begs his now grandfather to simply hold the sun for a moment. The man complies and throws the boy the sun. During that action, the boy transforms into a humanoid raven, catching the sun in his beak and flying away with the light into the world. In summary, it’s a tale explaining how the sun came to be.

My section of the story was the scene of the woman swallowing the needle and the subsequent transformation.