From the earliest days when they came together on this earth, the Osage people have been divided into two groups. These groups were the Sky People and the Earth People. The nine clans of the sky people always lived in the northern half of the village. The fifteen clans of the earth people lived in the southern half of the village.
These clans looked to the animals to be their teachers, to serve as symbols for them to live strong lives. Each clan had more than one animal as its symbol. One of these clans was called the Isolated Earth People. This is the story of how the spider became one of the symbols of that clan.
One day, the chief of the Isolated Earth People was hunting in the forest. He was not just hunting for game, he was also hunting for a symbol to give life to his people, some great and powerful animal that would show itself to him and teach him an important lesson. As he hunted, he came upon the tracks of a huge deer . The chief became very excited.
" Grandfather Deer ", he said, "surely you are going to show yourself to me. You are going to teach me a lesson and become one of the symbols of my people ".
The chief began to follow the deer tracks. His eye were on nothing else as he followed those tracks and he went faster and faster though the forest. Suddenly, the chief ran right into a huge spiders web that had been strung between the trees across the trail. It was so large and strong that it covered his eyes and made him stumble. When he got back up to his feet, he was very angry. He struck at the spider, which was sitting at the edge of the web, but the spider dodged aside and climbed out of reach. Then the spider spoke to the man.
" Grandson, " the spider said, " why do you run through the woods looking at nothing but the ground? Why do you act as if you are blind?
The chief felt foolish, but he felt he haf to answer the spider. " I was following the tracks of the great deer ." The chief said. " I am seeking a symbol to give life and strength to my people. "
" I can be such a symbol, "said the spider.
"How could you give strength to my people? Said the chief."
You are small and weak and I didn't even see you as I followed the great deer ."
"Grandson, " said the spider. "Look upon me. I am patient. I watch and I wait. Then all things come to me. If your people learn this, they will be strong indeed."
The Chief saw that it was so. Thus the spider became one of the symbols of the Osage people.
