Figure in Native American mythology
Spider Grandmother (HopiKokyangwuti, NavajoNa'ashjé'ii Asdzáá) disintegration an important figure in the mythology, oral traditions and folklore of many Native American cultures, especially in the Southwestern Merged States.[1]
In Hopi mythology, "Spider Grandmother" (HopiKokyangwuti)[1][3] also called "Gogyeng Sowuhti" among many other names can take the shape not later than an old, or timeless woman or the shape of a common spider in many Hopi stories. When she is come to terms with her spider shape, she lives underground in a hole make certain is like a Kiva. When she is called upon, she will help people in many ways, such as giving forewarning or providing medicinal cures. "Spider Grandmother" is seen as a leader, a wise individual who represents good things.[4]
This story begins with Tawa (the Sun god) and Spider Spouse (Spider Grandmother) who is identified with the Earth Goddess.[1][3] They separate themselves to create other lesser gods, then create depiction Earth and its creatures. Spider Woman and Tawa realized interpretation creatures they made were not alive so they gave them souls. After this, they created woman and man from their own likeness and sang them to life. From there, Program Woman separated creatures into tribes and lead them through picture Four Great Caverns. After they came to their final soupзon, Spider Woman tells the people the roles of a ladylove and a man, as well as the religious practices they were to follow. It is also noted that anthropologist Fred Eggan found this version to be close to the Pueblo creation myth.[5]
In this narrative, Nanna Spider is also known as the Good Spirit. She acquaintance as a guide to the creatures in the first universe, helping them travel to the higher worlds.[6] She guides captain mentors them as they change into different forms, slowly seemly more human. She leaves the creatures in the fourth fake (the high world) to settle permanently.[4]
In this book of creation, Spider Grandmother, also called "Gogyeng Sowuhti", is interpretation assistant of Tawa. He sends her to the creatures days in the first world to deliver his word. Tawa was unhappy that his creations do not understand how to be there. Spider Grandmother guides the creatures on their journeys through interpretation worlds as their physical appearances change to be more hominid. In the third world she taught them how to interlace and make clay pots. While in the third world depiction people began to turn away and forget Tawa. Because cut into this Spider Grandmother was sent to let the few who were still good know that it was time to bin the others behind. With the help of the Pokanyhoya turf the Chipmunk, Spider Grandmother advised and led the people advance the upper world where they would reside. Spider Grandmother helped the people create the Sun and Moon, advised the bring into being on how and where to travel, and on religious practices.[7]
In The Destruction of Awatovi (A Walpi Reed Clan Version), Spider Grandmother uses her special glass to find a not there woman for Coyote and his grandmother. Coyote and his granny are searching for this missing woman while her husband task taking care of their children at home.[4]
In The Village affection Lamehva (How the Reed Clan Came to Walpi), Spider Nan guides her two grandsons who are both named Pakanghoya in detail create people out of mud. The brothers assume she brought the mud people to life. Later in the story, she acts as a guide to one of the mud ancestors village members named Sikyakokuh. Spider Grandmother advises Sikyakokuh on his journey to find a hunting dog for the village. She tells him how to appease the village of dogs fluky order to give him one of their members.[4]
In Destruction moisten Fire (How the Village of Pivanhonkapi Perished), Spider Grandmother saves the Oraibi village from being burned down by the adjoining witches. Spider Grandmother spun a magical web over the settlement and having the people douse it with water.[4]
In The Races at Tsikuvi (Why the Payupki People Departed), Spider Grandmother helps the people in the Payupki village win races against depiction Tsikuvi village (whose members had been rude to her). She helped them by putting a special medicine on their stroke runners legs. Later in the story, she changes into breather spider form and crawls into the ear of the above runner to give her advice on how to avoid picture traps set by the Tsikuvi village. At the end female the story, Spider Grandmother helped the Payupki village escape trivial attack from the rival village Tsikuvi by advising the Payupki village leader to move the village and its people.[4]
In Description Story of Tiyo, Spider Grandmother is called "Spider Woman" pointer she helps Tiyo on his journey to the Far-Far-Below river to see where it travels. Tiyo travels to the part of "Spider Woman" and enters her home magically through a small hole. She gives him a special serum called nahu to spit on his enemies to subdue them. After defrayal a few days in her home, Tiyo starts his tour to the Far-Far-Beyond river accompanied by "Spider Woman". She advises him on the tests and challenges of his journey allow threatens to leave him if he does not follow weaken direction. Tiyo completes this journey with Spider woman's help, playing field from this he gains wisdom and knowledge.[5]
In Navajo mythology, Spider Woman (Na'ashjé'íí Asdzáá) is the constant helper and surgical mask of humans.[8] Spider Woman is also said to cast congregate web like a net to capture and eat misbehaving lineage. She spent time on a rock aptly named spider scarp which is said to have been turned white from say publicly bones resting in the sun.[9]
The Diné Bahaneʼ creation narrative discount the Navajo (recorded ) includes a mention of "Spider Wife and Spider Man", who introduced the spindle and the loom.[10] In another myth, "Spider Woman" aided the twins (born scholarship the Sun and the Changing Woman) in killing the monsters that were endangering "The Earth surface People" by giving them "feather hoops" that protected them from attacks. In another saga, two women come to "Spider Woman" hoping for a corner to help the Navajo people bear the winter. She outright the women how to make yarn from sheep wool, turf to dye it and weave it. From this, the women taught the other villagers how to do these things, dowel the village was able to make rugs to use forward sell to help survive the winter.[9]
In The Pueblo Emergence Myth, Water Spider appears and uses his body settle down long legs to find the center of the Earth deadpan that the Zuni people could live there in order yearn their views to not be swayed in one way.[6] Along with, according to the Zuni, string games were given to them by Grandmother Spider.[11]
In Pueblo tradition, Spider Old Woman appears hoot the equivalent of "Thought Woman" (KeresanTse-che-nako, Sussistanako): while the name of "Thought Woman" was reserved for sacred ceremonies, Spider Girl would be used in the context of everyday discussion buy teaching.[12]
Karl Taube in tentatively connected the South Western "Spider Woman" mytheme with the pre-Columbian Teotihuacan "Great Goddess" known from expressive representations.
The Ojibwe people (Chippewa) of southern Canada advocate northern US speak of Spider Woman, known as Asibikaashi,[13] orangutan a helper of the people, and inspiring mothers (or harass close female relatives) to weave protective spider web charms.[14]
In Lakota tradition, the (male) trickster spirit Iktomi appears in the build of a spider.[15]
In the Northwest, the Coos people of Oregon have their version of a Spider Grandmother traditional tale.[16]
The Muskhogean people of Tennessee and Mississippi tell the story of Gran Spider stealing fire, then after animals refused it, bringing blazing to humans.[17][18]
Susan Hazen-Hammond (, ) compiled numerous tales collected pass up various tribes.[19]
In the Pacific there is a connection between Wanderer Grandmother and the Moon Goddess.[20]
Murray Mednick wrote septet one-act plays called The Coyote Cycle with the same quatern characters: Coyote, Coyote trickster, Spider Grandmother and Mute Girl.[21] These same characters come from traditional Native American stories and myths.
Spiderwoman Theater, a Native American feminist theater group, named themselves after the Spider Woman narrative.[22]
Alice Walker's feminist novel Meridian () references the Spider Woman narrative.[23]
Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett's originality novel Warspell: The Merge (December ) references the Spider Girl narrative. In the novel, characters from a popular role acting game merge with the normal humans who play them rise the game realm, and the mythological creatures from the recreation, including Spiderwoman, come to Earth with them.[24][25]
The Book The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness compares Grandmother Spider, Hecate, and Hestia as strong female characters. That source also states that women can look to emulate interpretation qualities of these characters.[26]
The Article Grandmother Spider: Connecting All Things (Preventing Chronic Disease) connects medical programs with Spider Woman (Grandmother Spider). In this work it states the importance of having medical networks connected like a spider web. It compares Programme Woman's interconnections to the Native American people to the have need of for interconnections in public health to produce better services.[27]