Could a neutral wire be black?
It's not confusing at all.  The work was done improperly.

That's plain. This was wired by a harpsichordist, not an electrician.  Perhaps whoever did this other one, did yours too. 


Let me play you the song of my people", says Bad Electrician.

The problems are probably repeated all over your house.  

The answer is the whole house must be searched for similar defects, including inside the panel, and of it must be fixed before you can even consider using a smart switch.  For one thing, this incorrect layout is dangerous and can kill you.  

But the smart switches also care about "polarity" and will not play nice with this wiring scheme.  

Correct colors are: 


Ground: Green, yellow-green or bare
Neutral: White or gray
Hot: Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Pink Blue Purple, or white wires remarked with tape. 


Switches must be on the hot leg, never the neutral leg. 

Once that is fixed, hooking up a smart switch should be straightforward.