In the beginning there was only blackness, and nobody could see anything. People kept
bumping into each other and groping blindly.
They said: "What this world needs is light."
Fox said he knew some people on the other side of the world who had plenty of light, but they
were too greedy to share it with others.
Possum said he would be glad to steal a little of it. "I have a bushy tail," he said. "I can hide the
light inside all that fur." Then he set out for the other side of the world.
There he found the sun hanging in a tree and lighting everything up.
Possum sneaked over to the sun, picked out a tiny piece of light, and stuffed it into his tail. But
the light was hot and burned all the fur off.
The people discovered his theft and took back the light, and ever since, Possum's tail has been
bald.
"Let me try," said Buzzard. "I know better than to hide a piece of stolen light in my tail. I'll put it on
my head." He flew to the other side of the world and, diving straight into the sun, seized it with his
claws.
Buzzard put it on his head, but it burned his head feathers off. The people grabbed the sun away
from him, and ever since that time Buzzard's head has remained bald.
Grandmother Spider said, "Let me try!"
First she made a thick-walled pot out of clay. Next she spun a web reaching all the way to the
other side of the world. She was so small that none of the people there noticed her coming.
Quickly Grandmother Spider snatched up the sun, put it in the bowl of clay, and scrambled back
home along one of the strands of her web. Now her side of the world had light, and everyone
rejoiced.
Grandmother Spider brought not only the sun to the Cherokee, but fire with it. And besides that,
she taught the Cherokee people the art of pottery making.
bumping into each other and groping blindly.
They said: "What this world needs is light."
Fox said he knew some people on the other side of the world who had plenty of light, but they
were too greedy to share it with others.
Possum said he would be glad to steal a little of it. "I have a bushy tail," he said. "I can hide the
light inside all that fur." Then he set out for the other side of the world.
There he found the sun hanging in a tree and lighting everything up.
Possum sneaked over to the sun, picked out a tiny piece of light, and stuffed it into his tail. But
the light was hot and burned all the fur off.
The people discovered his theft and took back the light, and ever since, Possum's tail has been
bald.
"Let me try," said Buzzard. "I know better than to hide a piece of stolen light in my tail. I'll put it on
my head." He flew to the other side of the world and, diving straight into the sun, seized it with his
claws.
Buzzard put it on his head, but it burned his head feathers off. The people grabbed the sun away
from him, and ever since that time Buzzard's head has remained bald.
Grandmother Spider said, "Let me try!"
First she made a thick-walled pot out of clay. Next she spun a web reaching all the way to the
other side of the world. She was so small that none of the people there noticed her coming.
Quickly Grandmother Spider snatched up the sun, put it in the bowl of clay, and scrambled back
home along one of the strands of her web. Now her side of the world had light, and everyone
rejoiced.
Grandmother Spider brought not only the sun to the Cherokee, but fire with it. And besides that,
she taught the Cherokee people the art of pottery making.
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| Copyright 2007 by Michael Auld Updated 2019 |
A Long Time Ago before
the computer was invented,
there were four spiders hard
at work, each weaving webs.
Tree of these major four
spiders hail from the United
States, one is fromk Mexico,
another isz from Peru while
the fourth is from Africa.
One spider tradition comes
from northeastern Arizona,
the other from North and
South Dakota, another from
parts of what are now the
eight states of Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama,
Georgia, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia and
West Virginia. The fourth,
detailed in this website
originated in southern and
central Ghana, West Africa.
Among the Hopi of Arizona,
Spider Woman's web
connects all things in the
universe. It is believed that
we are linked by spider-like
strands to each animate and
inanimate object in the
universe. We are also
similar to the spider that
senses vibrations when one
strand of its web is disturbed.
Iktomi, once associated with
wisdom, is the trickster
spider of the Lakota. He is
responsible for the
expanding web across the
continents, first via the
telegraph system and now
through the Internet's World
Wide Web.
Grandmother Spider is from
the Cherokee tradition. One
story tells of how she steals
the sun and brought light to
her side of the Earth. How
Buzzard got a bald head
and why Possum has a
hairless tail are also two
outcomes of this episode.
The Cherokee seem to have
also been the source of the
Br'er Rabbit stories often
ascribed to a mythical Uncle
Remus. The story, pub-
lished on July 20, 1879 in
the Atlanta Constitution,
brought fame to its young
journalist Joe Harris. One of
these Cherokee stories is
also strikingly similar to
"Anansi and the Tar Baby".
In the land of the Asanti
(Ashanti) of Ghana,
Anansi's web demonstrated
to humans how we should
be linked together in order
to form a unit called a
"society".
Thousands of years before
the www, or the World Wide
Web, storytellers in two
distant continents said that it
was the spider's woven
filaments that represented
the connection between
human beings and their
universe.
the computer was invented,
there were four spiders hard
at work, each weaving webs.
Tree of these major four
spiders hail from the United
States, one is fromk Mexico,
another isz from Peru while
the fourth is from Africa.
One spider tradition comes
from northeastern Arizona,
the other from North and
South Dakota, another from
parts of what are now the
eight states of Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama,
Georgia, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia and
West Virginia. The fourth,
detailed in this website
originated in southern and
central Ghana, West Africa.
Among the Hopi of Arizona,
Spider Woman's web
connects all things in the
universe. It is believed that
we are linked by spider-like
strands to each animate and
inanimate object in the
universe. We are also
similar to the spider that
senses vibrations when one
strand of its web is disturbed.
Iktomi, once associated with
wisdom, is the trickster
spider of the Lakota. He is
responsible for the
expanding web across the
continents, first via the
telegraph system and now
through the Internet's World
Wide Web.
Grandmother Spider is from
the Cherokee tradition. One
story tells of how she steals
the sun and brought light to
her side of the Earth. How
Buzzard got a bald head
and why Possum has a
hairless tail are also two
outcomes of this episode.
The Cherokee seem to have
also been the source of the
Br'er Rabbit stories often
ascribed to a mythical Uncle
Remus. The story, pub-
lished on July 20, 1879 in
the Atlanta Constitution,
brought fame to its young
journalist Joe Harris. One of
these Cherokee stories is
also strikingly similar to
"Anansi and the Tar Baby".
In the land of the Asanti
(Ashanti) of Ghana,
Anansi's web demonstrated
to humans how we should
be linked together in order
to form a unit called a
"society".
Thousands of years before
the www, or the World Wide
Web, storytellers in two
distant continents said that it
was the spider's woven
filaments that represented
the connection between
human beings and their
universe.
The web is a symbol among the Hopi of North America. It is Spider Woman's
symbol. She was present at the creation of the universe. She fashioned the
first human beings out of clay into whom life was created at sunrise. Of all
the clans to which the Hopi belong, hers is the first and the most important.
The web reflects the colors that were present at the time of the creation of
the Universe. She is also the mother of the twin war-gods.
symbol. She was present at the creation of the universe. She fashioned the
first human beings out of clay into whom life was created at sunrise. Of all
the clans to which the Hopi belong, hers is the first and the most important.
The web reflects the colors that were present at the time of the creation of
the Universe. She is also the mother of the twin war-gods.
Anansi's Web of Life (above) inspired humans by showing them how to
weave and how to construct houses. The web also showed human beings
how to link themselves together in order to form a strong group. As
individuals the Asanti are joined to each other by family, clan, village and a
Confederacy whose foundation dates back to the Kwaaman state in 1570.
The web is also a symbol of the life-giving sun. As the son of Nyame the
Creator, he is also a god capable of performing fantastic feats in spite of his
size.
weave and how to construct houses. The web also showed human beings
how to link themselves together in order to form a strong group. As
individuals the Asanti are joined to each other by family, clan, village and a
Confederacy whose foundation dates back to the Kwaaman state in 1570.
The web is also a symbol of the life-giving sun. As the son of Nyame the
Creator, he is also a god capable of performing fantastic feats in spite of his
size.
Legend: According to a legend, Iktomi gave the web of life
to a Lakota elder who had gone to a mountain
with an offering of a willow hoop adorned with
horse hair, beads and feathers. Iktomi the great
trickster and wisdom-keeper appeared to the
elder in a vision. Iktomi began to weave a web
inside of the hoop. Iktomi had made a
dream catcher that he told the elder
to give to the people. The web of life
was intended to capture all the good
dreams and ideas. The bad dreams would pass
through the hole in the center of the web.
to a Lakota elder who had gone to a mountain
with an offering of a willow hoop adorned with
horse hair, beads and feathers. Iktomi the great
trickster and wisdom-keeper appeared to the
elder in a vision. Iktomi began to weave a web
inside of the hoop. Iktomi had made a
dream catcher that he told the elder
to give to the people. The web of life
was intended to capture all the good
dreams and ideas. The bad dreams would pass
through the hole in the center of the web.
A dream catcher
Some Native American nations have another interpretation for the dream catcher. A dream
catcher is placed above the sleeping child where the bad dreams are caught in the web. The
good dreams come to us through the hole in the center. At daybreak the sun's rays destroy
the bad dreams. In one version the web of life protects us while in the second all our hopes
and dreams remain safe.
catcher is placed above the sleeping child where the bad dreams are caught in the web. The
good dreams come to us through the hole in the center. At daybreak the sun's rays destroy
the bad dreams. In one version the web of life protects us while in the second all our hopes
and dreams remain safe.
Name: Iktomi (ik-toe-me) or Unktomi.
Nationality: Lakota/Dakota/Nakota [Also known as the
Sioux].
Son of : The Thunderbird
Brother of: Iya the Storm, the evil monster who also
spreads disease.
Profile: Iktomi the spider is a shapeshifter and trickster
whose actions provide moral lessons, especially
for young people.
He is also responsible for giving culture to the
Lakota. He is like a puppet master who controls
humans on a string. He especially has power
over women. He has been described as shallow
fellow with an empty smile and who dresses
sharper than any Lakota warrior. He is a potion-
maker who is not always bad and will help people
by showing them how to protect themselves from
evil.
Nationality: Lakota/Dakota/Nakota [Also known as the
Sioux].
Son of : The Thunderbird
Brother of: Iya the Storm, the evil monster who also
spreads disease.
Profile: Iktomi the spider is a shapeshifter and trickster
whose actions provide moral lessons, especially
for young people.
He is also responsible for giving culture to the
Lakota. He is like a puppet master who controls
humans on a string. He especially has power
over women. He has been described as shallow
fellow with an empty smile and who dresses
sharper than any Lakota warrior. He is a potion-
maker who is not always bad and will help people
by showing them how to protect themselves from
evil.
| The Web of Life: |
Spider Woman 1 & 2, Anansi,
Iktomi
Spider Woman
Anansi
Six spider characters that weave themselves into the moral
fabric of our lives.
fabric of our lives.
| CLICK MY PIX TO GO |
Refreshed January, 2019
Grandmother Spider, Nazca and
iktomi
iktomi
Left: Spiders and their webs have intrigued
humans for many thousands of years. Here are
four shell gorget pendants from ancient earthen
mounds in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee. The
pyramid-like mounds are part of indigenous
American mound-building societies whose
structures seemed to have spread north from the
civilizations of Central America.
The sun-like circle and the cross-like Four
(cardinal) Directions are typical sacred Native
American design elements.
humans for many thousands of years. Here are
four shell gorget pendants from ancient earthen
mounds in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee. The
pyramid-like mounds are part of indigenous
American mound-building societies whose
structures seemed to have spread north from the
civilizations of Central America.
The sun-like circle and the cross-like Four
(cardinal) Directions are typical sacred Native
American design elements.
Left: A Hopi interior food bowl design
of the sun and the spider. From
Homolobi in the American Southwest.
of the sun and the spider. From
Homolobi in the American Southwest.
| Grandmother Spider: A Cherokee Tale Illustrated by Michael Auld (from his book "Ticky-Ticky's Search: Travel to Turtle Island". From a tale reported by James Mooney in the 1890's. "American Indian Myths & Legends Selected and edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. |
Grandmother Spider with a woven web shawl, skating on the water like
a Water Spider, in front of her traditional Asi (Cherokee house).
a Water Spider, in front of her traditional Asi (Cherokee house).
(Above) SPIDER WOMAN-1 & 2: Murals. THE AZTEC “GREAT GODDESS” The Great Goddess of
Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacan Spider Woman). She is a proposed goddess of the Precolumbian
Teotihuacan civilization (ca. 100 BCE - 700 CE), in what is now Mexico. The mural of the Great
Goddess of Teotihuacan from the Tepantitla apartment complex located at Teotihuacan is in the
National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacan Spider Woman). She is a proposed goddess of the Precolumbian
Teotihuacan civilization (ca. 100 BCE - 700 CE), in what is now Mexico. The mural of the Great
Goddess of Teotihuacan from the Tepantitla apartment complex located at Teotihuacan is in the
National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
NAZCA SPIDER: Geoglyph that can only be seen from the sky. Southern Peru. Aerial photo of ancient
lines in the Nazca Desert created between 500 BC and 500 AD.
lines in the Nazca Desert created between 500 BC and 500 AD.