Chiuta (The Spider Creator)
Chiuta, meaning 'Great Bow' (a reference to the rainbow as his symbol), is the supreme creator deity in Chewa and Tumbuka mythology of Malawi. Unlike many creator gods who are remote and uninvolved, Chiuta is depicted as intimately connected to creation through the powerful image of a spider descending from the sky on a silk thread. According to the Chewa creation myth, in the beginning there was only Chiuta and the barren earth. Chiuta lived above in the sky, and below him the earth was desolate. One day, clouds began to cover the sky, lightning flared, and thunder rumbled. The sky opened, an