Michael and the Raven
January 2nd, 2010 | By: Fred Nystrom
Local artist Joanie Moore had no idea when she sat down to carve a small Raven in her Preston studio that her creation would become the most traveled raven of all time.
Joanie says she has had a fascination with ravens most of her life. “When I was small, I remember trying to sneak up on the crows at Camp Terry in Preston. They always announced our arrival before we could even see them,” she said. “It wasn’t a game to them, I now know. I can understand how humans attached magical and mysterious qualities to ravens and crows. I believe they taught us human behavior and language.” Until Joanie’s raven was sold to an appreciative patron at Up Front Art on Issaquah’s Front Street, her story was typical of local artists. A few days after Joanie left her raven at the store, Sifu Johann Sasynuik from Kung Fu Club Fall City/Issaquah made a connection with the raven when he bought it as a special totem for his brother in-law, astronaut Dr. Mike Barratt to take on an epic journey.
In March 2009, Michael was scheduled to go up in the Soyuz spacecraft as the Flight Engineer on Expedition 19, and Sifu wanted to send something special with him during the six month orbit around Earth. Sifu understood that ravens are common symbols in almost all cultures around the world. Not only would the raven fit in with diverse cultures represented on the expedition, but it would represent Michael’s Norse heritage. Vikings would often fly a raven on the sail of their Long Ships during their journeys.
The carved bird was the perfect gift for Michael, a Washington native who has long been fascinated with flight.
Perhaps the raven provided good luck for Michael on his travels. The first leg of the trip, a flight to Star City, Russia, involved a rather perilous journey through the eye of Hurricane Ike, but they made it safely. The Soyuz launched from Baikanour, Kazakhstan on March 25. Riding with Michael was another renowned Northwest resident, Charles Simonyi.
Dr. Barrett shortly after landing. Photo courtesy of NASA.
Michael called Sifu from space the day before his scheduled return. He was flying 200 miles over over Husky Stadium, looking down through a NASA telephoto camera at the Tyee seats where Sifu and his Father Michael have been season ticket holders for 37 years. By the time they returned on October 12, 2009, Michael and the raven had logged over 73 million miles. “As the raven flies,” the astronauts traveled 80 percent of the way to the sun. Sitting next to Michael and the raven on the turbulent ride back to the Central Asian steppes was Guy LaLiberte, the founder of Cirque de Soleil. Charles and Guy each paid $35 million for their space trip, while Michael put in 20 years of preparation work.
In addition to the two space tourists, Sifu Sasynuik contrasted the raven with another “passenger” aboard the space station—a Buzz Lightyear doll from the Pixar movie “Toy Story.” The doll received a ticker-tape parade at Disney World in October. Perhaps history’s most traveled raven should be at the head of this year’s Salmon Days parade. Then again, the raven may be off on another adventure, as Dr. Michael Barrett is currently scheduled for a return trip next September as a member of NASA’s last scheduled shuttle crew.
For more on Joanie Moore’s creations visit www.rookmoore.com
