Nihancan
Nihancan (Nih'oo3oo) is the spider trickster figure of the Arapaho tribe. Like Iktomi of the Lakota and Wihio of the Cheyenne, Nihancan is both clever and foolish, wise and ridiculous. His stories range from benign mischief to more violent trickery—in one tale he tricks a bear family and kills the children, in another he encounters a dwarf with a powerful arrow who teaches him humility. Despite his often-antisocial behavior, Nihancan's stories serve as important moral lessons teaching the consequences of greed, selfishness, and disrespect. His name literally means 'spider' in Arapaho, and afte