What Role Does Spider Woman Play In Legend

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Spider Woman: What role does she play in Legend? Who is Spider Woman and how is she entwined so deeply in both Laguna and Kiowa legend? I find myself asking how two different peoples can be so closely connected through the myths and legends passed down over many generations. Spider Woman has played a strong role as protector and nurturer. She is held in high regard as a magical being of great empathy and knowledge who always looks out for both the good-spirits and children. Two different peoples with one very strong link. The Beginning: Momaday’s Spider Woman I first came across Spider Woman in the text of “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday. He mentions Spider Woman over the course of several pages as a progressive continuation of the Kiowa Legend. (Picked up on Momaday 22) The story starts out by telling of a little girl who becomes the wife of the Sun. She and the Sun have a male child. When the woman becomes homesick she creates a rope which she uses to climb back down to the earth with the child on her back. She is killed by the Sun who is angered by her disobedience causing the child to fall to the earth. (Momaday 24) This is where the Spider Woman comes in. Overcoming a great jealousy Spider Woman’s curiosity causes her to wonder about the child and after a time …show more content…

Females may be seen as small but they are not disregarded the way that other cultures have done for centuries. For many Native American cultures females and elder women play an intricate role as leaders and wise women. Though warring and hunting were left to the males, females made the daily decisions on how the tribe of village was run. They had many gender specific roles, but were seem more as equals. Spider Woman is a symbol of feminine power and knowledge. What we as individuals take from these teaching depends on the individual. I have come to see the potential and multi-ranged abilities of females in a new

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