Native Indian Dream Catcher
Various Native American cultures have dream catchers, or a version of them, woven into their traditions. But it is the Ojibwe culture (indigenous people originally from northern midwestern USA and Canada) that the majority of historians agree the dream catcher originated from. The legend focuses on Asibikaashi, the spider woman. The elder passed on his vision onto the people and now many Indian people have a dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through the hole in the web and are no longer a part of their lives.
The dream catcher has been a part of Native American culture for generations. One element of Native American dream catcher relates to the tradition of the hoop. Some Native Americans of North America held the hoop in the highest esteem, because it symbolized strength and unity. Many symbols started around the hoop, and one of these symbols is. Native made and one of a kind shipped from Vancouver B.C. Beautiful handmade dreamcatchers by Maggie Vicaire. Native made and one of a kind shipped from Vancouver B.C. The Black and Tan Wooden Dreamcatcher. Regular price $60.00 Sale price $60.00 Regular price. Unit price / per. I am accepting custom orders at. During the pan-Indian movement in the 60’s and 70’s, Ojibwe dream catchers started to get popular in other Native American tribes, even those in disparate places like the Cherokee, Lakota, and Navajo. So dream catchers aren’t traditional in most Indian cultures, per se, but they’re sort of neo-traditional, like fry bread.
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In some Indigenous cultures, a dreamcatcher or dream catcher is a handmade willow hoop, on which is woven a net or web. It may also include sacred items such as certain feathers or beads. They believe that, through the use of a dream catcher, an individual can protect themselves from negative dreams while letting positive dreams through the hole of the dream catcher.
Dream catchers originated with the Ojibwe people and were gradually adopted by some neighbouring nations through intermarriage and trade. This continued and, by the 1960s and 1970s, they had been adopted by a large number of Indigenous people of diverse cultures.
Because of this, some consider the dream catcher a symbol of unity among the Indigenous or Aboriginal people. However, many other Indigenous people have come to see dream catchers as over-commercialized, offensively misappropriated and misused by non-natives.
At Canadian Indigenous Art, we ensure our gallery only includes handcrafted dream catchers from authentic Squamish Nation Artists.
by K Shabi PUBLISHED 14 July 2016
What is the true meaning and history behind the Native American dreamcatcher? Where do dreamcatchers really come from? You've probably seen a dream catcher hanging from a tree, a porch or even in a souvenir gift shop and wondered about its purpose and meaning. Read on to learn more about the story, legend, and origins of authentic Native American dream catchers.
Authentic Native American Dream Catchers
Originally created by American Indians, dreamcatchers today come in a variety of different sizes and styles. They usually consist of a small wooden hoop covered in a net or web of natural fibers, with meaningful sacred items like feathers and beads attached, hanging down from the bottom of the hoop. Real authentic, traditional dream catchers are handmade and crafted only from all natural materials, in size measuring just a few small inches across. The hoop is traditionally constructed from a bent Red Willow branch covered in stretched sinews. Wrapping the frame in leather is another common finishing touch among 'real' dream catchers.
History of the Dreamcatcher: Ojibwe or Lakota Origins?
Today the dreamcatcher is associated with Native American culture in general, but dream catchers are often believed to have originated from the Ojibwa Chippewa tribe in particular. The Lakota tribe also has its own legend about the origins of the dreamcatcher, but most ethnographers believe the dreamcatchers were passed down from the Ojibwe through intermarriage and trade. The Ojibwe word for dreamcatcher asabikeshiinh actually means 'spider,' referring to the woven web loosely covering the hoop. The patterns of the dream catcher web are similar to the webbing these Native Americans also used for making snowshoes.
Ojibwa Legend: The story of the Dream catcher
Native Indian Dream Catcher Legend Poem
Ancient legends about the history and origin of the dreamcatcher exist among several Native American tribes, but are most common and seem to originate among the Ojibwe and Lakota nations. While many cultures consider spiders to be creepy crawlers, the Ojibwe people saw them in a different light, as symbols of protection and comfort. According to an old Ojibwa legend, a mystical and maternal 'Spider Woman' once served as the spiritual protector for her tribe, especially in concern to young children, kids and babies. As the Ojibwe people flourished and spread out across the land, it was difficult for The Spider Woman to continue to protect and watch over all the members of the tribe as they migrated farther and farther away. This is why she created the first dreamcatcher. Following her example, over the course of generations mothers and grandmothers continued to ritualistically recreate the maternal keepsake as a means of mystically protecting their children and families even from a distance.
What do dream catchers do? Purpose & Meaning of the Dream Catcher
Sometimes referred to as 'Sacred Hoops,' Ojibwe dreamcatchers were traditionally used as talismans to protect sleeping people, usually children, from bad dreams and nightmares. This Native American tribe believes that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. When hung above the bed in a place where the morning sunlight can hit it, the dream catcher attracts and catches all sorts of dreams and thoughts into its webs. Good dreams pass through and gently slide down the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams, however, are caught up in its protective net and destroyed, burned up in the light of day.
Dream Catcher Meaning: Web, Feathers & Beads
Native American Dream Catcher Worksheet
All parts of the authentic Native American dreamcatcher have meaning tied to the natural world. The shape of the dreamcatcher is a circle because it represents the circle of life and how forces like the sun and moon travel each day and night across the sky. The dream catcher web catches the bad dreams during the night and dispose of them when the day comes. As for the good dreams, the feathers act as a fluffy, pillow-like ladder that allows them to gently descend upon the sleeping person undisturbed. There is some contention when it comes to the meaning of the beads that often decorate the dreamcatcher. According to some American Indians, the beads symbolize the spider—the web weaver itself. Others believe the beads symbolize the good dreams that could not pass through the web, immortalized in the form of sacred charms.
Native American Dream Catcher Coloring Pages
Dreamcatcher Meaning Today: Authentic Symbol or Cultural Appropriation?
Though dreamcatchers are quite common, finding real authentic dreamcatchers is not that easy today. Real handmade dream catchers are usually small in size and feature sacred charms like feathers and beads. Many dreamcatchers for sale today, however, are much more American than Native American, often oversized and constructed from cheap plastic materials. Many Native Americans still consider the dreamcatcher to be a long-standing cultural symbol of unity and identification among the many Indian Nations and First Nations cultures. Sadly, many other Native Americans have come to see dream catchers as just another cultural appropriation, over-commercialized and at times offensively misappropriated and misused by non-Natives.