Spider Woman Lives

"Daaad, there is a spider in here, come get it!" My daughters, Alyssa and McKale, had spotted the creature on our ceiling and wanted it dispatched, post haste. When a spider shows itself in our home, it is my responsibility to catch and release it into the wilds of our backyard. My wife, Laurie, has transferred her arachnophobia to each of our children, so there is no one else to do this deed. I have often tried to impress upon my family a more compassionate and cohabitational attitude towards our web weaving friends. Sharing Navajo cultural stories about spiders and encouraging my family to overcome their personal fear factors concerning these eight legged creatures has not been successful.


Pictures of spiders in Barry Simpson's home

Here at the trading post, Steve and I deal with web weavers on a regular basis. In the Navajo culture, there resides a benevolent being known as Spider Woman; she dwells within the Navajo rug and basket weavers who frequent our establishment. Spider Woman's aura surrounds them, tenaciously attached by threads of wool and sumac.

It has been a real adventure becoming familiar with our local weavers . Through the hearts and hands of these artists, Spider Woman spins her webs of myth and legend, prolongs a fading culture and expresses her opinions. Materials gathered from the earth are artfully reworked into expressions of the ancient Navajo stories. If you look closely, and open your mind, the Navajo perspective begins to come together in a tapestry of form and movement.

Through the weaver's, the culture begins to unfold in unique and fascinating ways. What once seemed only visually intriguing becomes doubly stimulating when the stories associated with the weaving are told. Interpretations of a practical and functional belief system are expressed through skills passed from hand to hand through the generations. Tradition, ancient ceremonial practices and suggestions of harmony and balance are woven into exceptional works of art. Spider Woman spins and weaves her magic into each creation.

Mountains, mesas and monuments are stylistically and lovingly portrayed; geometric red rock canyons and scattered juniper trees come alive on these textural canvases. Subtle images such as lizard tracks across a desert sand dune, wispy cloud formations and lively displays of early morning light find their way onto the one dimensional art forms. Their portrayal brings forth depth of field and a feeling of experience that tempts the senses into loftier realms of reality.

Spider Woman lives in the art of those who believe and welcome her into their world. She provides her followers with skill in gathering necessary materials, the patience required for proper preparation and the ability to incorporate singular mental images into the art. With her aid, Navajo weaving becomes more than warp, weft and design. Spider Woman provides the motivation and creativity it takes to produce exceptional art pieces.

It wasn't long after the spider incident with the girls that Laurie's three sisters and parents came to visit. Somehow the fact that "dear old Dad" had an affinity for spiders came up, and I was chastised for tolerating their presence for any reason (The spiders, not the sisters-in-law). Laurie and her siblings are sticklers for a clean house, and arachnids do not blend well with that philosophy.

Before I knew it my in-laws had formed a posse and rounded up three more of my crawly associates. Much to my dismay the "tidy team of bug bashers" banished the creatures to the rich earth of the flower garden. I am having trouble convincing my family that spiders are good and beneficial allies. I may have to weave a web of deceit and liberate those spiders from their leafy exile. I know the perfect little corner where they will have the opportunity to grow and prosper.

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