Friday, March 31, 2017

The Webs We Weave: David Burkhart and "Iktome"

Some native American flute music is our random song for the day. Iktome is by David White Cloud Burkhart. Unfortunately, I couldn't find much information on him. The title of the song refers to the spider trickster of the Lakota people who represents the intersection and confusion of wisdom and folly. While he is usually a spider, he can take any shape including that of a human who wears red, yellow and white paint with black rings around his eyes. One should avoid his gaze, unless one wants trouble to find oneself. He is said to have invented language and is considered a patron of new technology. In fact, one legend says that he will eventually spread his web over the world, which is taken by some Lakota to symbolize telephone wires and the World Wide Web. You can find Iktome on David Burkhart's 2007 album Ina Maka.