Spider

The spider symbol was widely used in the Mississippi mound culture, as well as in the legends and mythology of Native American tribes. Spider-Woman, or the Spider-Grandmother, often appearing in Hopi myths, served as a messenger and teacher of the Creator and was a mediator between deity and people. Spider-woman taught people to weave, and the spider symbolized creativity and weaved the fabric of life. In Lakota Sioux mythology, Iktomi is a trickster spider and a form of switching spirit - see tricksters. It looks like a spider in appearance, but can take any form, including a human. When he is human, he is said to wear red, yellow and white paint with black rings around his eyes. The Seneca tribe, one of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederation, believed that a supernatural spirit named Dijien was a human-sized spider that survived fierce battles because his heart was buried underground.