(Spider dangling from web, Source: Wikipedia)
Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes
I noticed how the story telling style changed throughout this unit from the more traditional “oral” style to a more typical prose. I must admit, I am more comfortable with the second part of the unit. The first part seems disconnected and can be confusing. I also seem to be missing context.
The Gifts of the Sky God
When I was reading this story, I was able to visualize the journey the men took to reach the sky God. I particularly like the story of the spider and how he could have prevented death. I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to try out a new story telling technique. I would like to tell this story from the spider’s point of view as a memoir. He could talk about how his friends died along the way, crushed by the sky wall or falling to the earth as animals. The spider will feel immense guilt and remorse that he was too late to save the people from death but will be determined to spread his knowledge as a shaman. In this way he tries to atone for his failure.
Story source: Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1914).
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