Native American Dreamcatchers

A dreamcatcher is a handmade object based on a hoop, incorporating a loose net and decorated with items unique to the particular dreamcatcher. In Native American culture, dreamcatchers were made as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The legend is that the dreamcatcher will catch bad dreams during the night, letting through only good ones.

Dreamcatchers are a authentic Native American Indian tradition, can be traced to the Ojibway (Chippewa tribe). The Ojibway would tie strands of sinew string around a frame of bent wood that as in a small round or tear drop shape. The pattern of the dreamcatcher would be similar to how the Ojibways tied the webbing for their snowshoes.

The Ojibway hang the dreamcatcher as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The legend is that the bad dreams will get caught in the web and disappear in the morning sun. Meanwhile, good dreams will find their way to the center of the dreamcatcher and float down the feather.

In the Ojibway tribe, dreams were so important that the children were not given name until after a person called as the “namer” of that child had a dream as to what the child should be name. The namer might give the child a charm woven look like a spider’s web in order to protect the baby’s dreams.

Dreamcatchers started to get popular in other Native American tribes such as Cherokee, Lakota and Navajo. Today, dreamcatchers are made in practically every Native American tribe in the United States and Canada. Native American event such as pow wows will also have authentic dreamcatchers for sale.

The dreamcacthers allegedly helps us remember our dreams. It is regarder by some as a serious tool that is much more than a decorative ornament. Hang the dreamcatcher ner the place where you sleep. Should your dreams become too active, simply lay the dreamcatcher down on a flat surface to render it inactive until you are ready to hang it up again. Beads, feathers and fetishes are not appropriate on a dreamcatcher as they interfere with the spiraling motion and can cause disturbing dreams.