When Iktómi finished speaking, he gave the Lakota elder the web and said, “See, the web is a perfect circle, but there is a hole in the center of the circle.” While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web, starting from the outside and working toward the center. He continued, “There are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings.” But, if you listen to the bad forces, they will hurt you and steer you in the wrong direction.” If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. “But,” Iktómi said as he continued to spin his web, “in each time of life, there are many forces, some good and some bad. Finally, we go to old age, where we must be taken care of as infants, thus, completing the cycle. We then move on to childhood and into adulthood. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life and how we begin our lives as infants. As Iktómi spoke, he took the elder’s willow hoop, which had feathers, horse hair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. Only spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand.

Iktómi spoke to him in a sacred language. In his vision, Iktómi – the great trickster and teacher of wisdom – appeared in the form of a spider. When the world was young, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain long ago.

Sioux dream catchers