The Sioux tell the story of how a white raven used to warn buffalo of approaching hunting parties. The buffalo would then stampede, and the hunters would be left hungry. Eventually, an angry shaman threw the bird into the fire which turned it black. Often honored among medicine & holy men of tribes for its shape-shifting qualities, the Raven was called upon in ritual so that visions could be clarified. A Native holy men understood that what the physical eye sees, is not necessarily the truth, and he would call upon the Raven for clarity in these matters. Foremost, the Raven is the Native American bearer of magic, and a harbinger of messages from the cosmos. A Messages that are beyond space and time are nested in the midnight wings of the Raven and come to only those within the tribe who are worthy of the knowledge.