Bear's Den: "Better Keep your 'Spidy Senses' on High"

The Sioux call him Iktomi. The Zuni call him Átahsaia. And many Woodland Indians simply call him Subbeka'she. Suffice it to say that all Indians have a name for… the spider. He casts a deceiving web for his prey to fall into, and the unlucky quarry, once so entangled, can be done for. But, not always, eh. Some webs are not made intentionally. Not getting caught is obviously the smart thing, hmm. So, the bottom line here is that you have to look at life like the spider does. Always, always… be patient; watch and wait. And, most importantly… take nothing… for granted.

I thought of this recently while working here on the Rez. I was hustling on a multitude of chores. We had a broken water line and no water in the cabin. I had a patrol vehicle up on jack stands in the drive, and a huge old ash had decided to come down in the front yard, providing me loads of fun with removal. So, I was busy. I had the 16-foot garage door open because I was in and out of that building. Now, the garage has three large windows on one side to shed light inside. They still had the tight, clear plastic insulator film on them from winter. I just sat down on the back porch swing to take a break when I looked over at movement inside one of these windows. There was a bird, encased in the window, frantically flapping around the tiny 4-inch space, trying to escape. Hmm, thought I; that´s weirder than weird.

I moved quickly to the spot, and once there, was even more weirded-out. Now, you might think that somebody like me… and weird… just naturally go together. And… okay… you´re probably right. But the thing is… this window was glass on the outside, and crystal clear, tight plastic on the inside, and I… could find no broken glass and no hole in the plastic? Yep, odd, huh? But since aliens have flat-out refused to abduct me, and likely didn´t place the wiskilo'tha (bird) in the sealed environ, I had to find another explanation. Uh-huh, and I eventually did. I found a barely discernable four-inch sliver in the still tight plastic that the robin had sliced on her race through the open garage door and through – what she thought – was a clear window. Case solved. I tore the plastic open, grabbed the terrified red breast and flung her out the opened garage door. She flew away at Mach 5. This kind´a thing happens when your home is nestled into the woods. I can´t tell you how many grouse we´ve eaten, over the years, that´ve sailed into our picture window and snapped their necks. Appearances can be deceiving, and the spider… counts on that, eh.

Living here in the wild, we have pretty much every kind of wildlife on the Rez, and spiders are a norm. They build webs everywhere. Now spiders are symbolic to American Indians. They run the gamut of representing a trickster to being a special icon. The Spider is considered a symbol of protection against torrential storms, and, in some Indian accounts, the Spider is personified as the Grandmother – a teacher and protector of mysterious wisdom. The Shawnee hold them in high regard, and heck, the Osage even use them as a symbol of strength, patience and wisdom. In a nutshell, the Osage story goes that a chief was looking for a critter to use as a symbol for his clan. He tracked a large deer, trying to get sight of it, but it eluded his vision. As he went, he walked into a big spider web, and it made him mad. He struck at the web and spider, but it jumped away, easily avoiding him.

The spider asked, "Two-legged, why do you run through the woods looking at nothing but the ground?"

The chief answered, angrily, "If you must know, I was following the tracks of a great deer that I am seeking as a symbol of strength for my people."

"Hmm," said the spider, "I can be such a symbol, and you can see me."

"How can you be a symbol of strength?" scoffed the chief. "You are small and weak, and I didn't even see you as I followed the great Deer."

"Ah, but look at me," said the spider. "I am patient. I watch and I wait. Then all things come to me. If your people learn this, they will be strong indeed." The chief saw that this was so, and the Spider became one of the symbols of the Osage people.

So, like quicksand – some traps are not made on purpose, as was the case with the robin trapped in the window. But others… are. Still, if we watch and wait, then many of the pitfalls and traps before us can be determined. Of course, deceit plays a role, and sometimes… this deliberate camouflage… makes it just too hard for us to know. I see our country´s politics and economy as such today. Um-hmm, but ya know, going back to names for spiders, I´ve always been kind´a partial to the one that the Arapaho sometimes use for him. They call the spider, Nihancan. In the connotation I speak of… he´s the ultimate deceiver. Yep, after several meetings with treaty representatives… it was often used by the Arapaho to describe the "White Man". Yeah, but me… I´ve been mentally and vocally applying it to politicians – of all colors, genders and parties – these days. That´s because, like the eight-legged arachnid, I´m always, always… striving to be patient, to watch and to wait. And, most importantly… I´m taking nothing for granted.

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David Walks-As-Bear is an Inter-Tribal Elder and Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is a novelist and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at The White Lake Beacon: 231-894-5356 or visit his website at: www.Walks-As-Bear.com