BUT IF YOU LISTEN TO THE BAD FORCES, THEY WILL HURT YOU AND STE3ER YOU IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.” IF YOU LISTEN TO THE GOOD FORCES, THEY WILL STEER YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. “BUT,” IKTOMI 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, COMPLETING THE CYCLE. HE SPOKE TO THE ELDER ABOUT THE CYCLES OF LIFE…AND HOW WE BEGIN OUR LIVES AS INFANTS AND WE MOVE ON TO CHILDHOOD, AND THEN TO ADULTHOOD.
IKTOMI SPOKE TO HIM IN A SACRED LANGUAGE THAT ONLY THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF THE LAKOTA COULD UNDERSTAND.ĪS HE SPOKE IKOTMI, THE SPIDER, TOOK THE ELDER’S WILLOW HOOP WHICH HAD FEATHERS, HORSE HAIR, BEADS AND OFFERINGS ON IT AND BEGAN TO SPIN A WEB. IN HIS VISION, IKTOMI, THE GREAT TRICKSTER AND TEACHER OF WISDOM, APPEARED IN THE FORM OF A SPIDER. LONG AGO WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG, AN OLD LAKOTA SPIRITUAL LEADER WAS ON A HIGH MOUNTAIN AND HAD A VISION.
