During production, we filmed an interview with Mark Hoover, photographer, artist, musician, and indigenous member of the Cordova area Eyak Village Corporation. Mark is from both white and Alutiiq heritage, moving between Cordova, Alaska to Edmonds, Washington, and back to Cordova. He grew up surrounded by his father’s art and ties to cultural and spiritual motifs, with the raven being the most prominent among them.

He has continued this practice through his photography, and has built up the community of Cordova, Alaska at the same time. Over the years, Mark has fostered a more intimate relationship with the raven as a spiritual and personal connection with individual birds built on respect and time. To most locals in Cordova, he is known as the “raven guy”. Eagles, crows, and ravens flock to him whenever he’s driving around town or out for a walk. He has also worked to rehabilitate and heal wounded or sick birds and kept them at home for short periods to allow them to go back into the wild—and many ravens recognize him as someone they can trust.