Dream
catchers are one of the most fascinating traditions of Native Americans. The
traditional dream catcher was intended to protect the sleeping individual from
negative dreams, while letting positive dreams through. The positive dreams
would slip through the hole in the center of the dream catcher, and glide down
the feathers to the sleeping person below. The negative dreams would get caught
up in the web, and expire when the first rays of the sun struck them.
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 the dream catcher.
What
Is A Dream Catcher:
Dream catchers are arts and crafts of the
Native American people. The original web dream catcher of the Ojibwa was
intended to teach natural wisdom. Nature is a profound teacher. Dream catchers
of twigs, sinew, and feathers have been woven since ancient times by Ojibwa
people. They were woven by the grandfathers and grandmothers for newborn
children and hung above the cradleboard to give the infants peaceful, beautiful
dreams. The night air is filled with dreams. Good dreams are clear and know the
way to the dreamer, descending through the feathers. The slightest movement of
the feathers indicated the passage of yet another beautiful dream. Bad dreams,
however, are confused and confusing. They cannot find their way through the web
and are trapped there until the sun rises and evaporates them like the morning
dew.
Originally
the Native American dream catcher was woven on twigs of the red willow using
thread from the stalk of the stinging nettle. The red willow and twigs from
other trees of the willow family, as well as red twig dogwood can be found in
many parts of the United States. These twigs are gathered fresh and dried in a
circle or pulled into a spiral shape depending upon their intended use. They
used natural feathers and semi-precious gemstone, one gemstone to each web
because there is only one creator in the web of life
Dream
Catcher Lore:
Native Americans believe that the night air is
filled with dreams both good and bad. The dream catcher when hung over or near
your bed swinging freely in the air, catches the dreams as they flow by. The
good dreams know how to pass through the dream catcher, slipping through the
outer holes and slide down the soft feathers so gently that many times the
sleeper does not know that he/she is dreaming. The bad dreams not knowing the
way get tangled in the dream catcher and perish with the first light of the new
day.
How the Dream Catcher is made:
Using a hoop of willow, and decorating it with
findings, bits and pieces of everyday life, (feathers, arrow heads, beads, etc)
the dream catcher is believed to have the power to catch all of a person's
dreams, trapping the bad ones, and letting only the good dreams pass through
the dream catcher.
History of the Dream Catcher:
Long ago when the word was sound, an old
Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision,
Iktomi, the great trickster and searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a
spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the
spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads
and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the
cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood
and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as
infants, completing the cycle.
But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin
his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If
you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But,
if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and
may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of
Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder
the web and said, The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use
the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas,
dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will filter
your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass.
How
To Make A Dream Catcher:
1. Using 2 - 6 ft. of soaked willow (or
grapevine), carefully bend the vine around to form a circle with a 3 - 8 in.
diameter. You decide on the diameter, but traditionally dream catchers are no
2. Twist the piece you are bending,
around the circle you have made to strengthen the vine hoop.
3. Use 4-16 ft. of strong but thin string
(the length is determined by the diameter of the hoop). Knot a loop in one end
from which you will hang your dream catcher when it is done.
4. Tie the hanging loop around the top of
your dream catcher (or at the weakest point of your hoop).
5. The dream catcher repeats the same
stitch from start to finish. To start, hold the string and place it loosely
over the top of the hoop. Move the string around to the back of the hoop
(forming a hole) and pull the string back through the hole you just made.
6. Pull each stitch taught but not too tight or
it will warp the hoop of the dream catcher and it will not lie flat when it is
done.
7. Continue the same stitch for the first
round around the hoop of the dream catcher. Space the stitches evenly, about 1
1/2 to 2 in. apart (making 7 to 13 stitches around the hoop).
8. The last stitch of the first round
should be placed about a half inch away from the the hanging loop.
Stitch for the second round:
9. On the second and subsequent stitching
rounds, place the string around the center of each stitch from the previous
round (rather than around the hoop).
10. As you pull each stitch tight, the string
from the previous round should bend towards the center of the hoop slightly,
forming a diamond shape.
You should see the spider web beginning to form.
11. On the third or fourth round add a
bead to represent the spider in the web. Simply place the bead on your string
and continue stitching as usual.
12. Continue stitching towards the center
of the hoop. Eventually, the stitches become so small that it is difficult to
pass the string through. Make sure you leave a hole in the center of the dream
catcher.
13. Stop stitching at the bottom of the
hole in the center of the dream catcher. End by stitching twice in the same
place, forming a knot, and pull tight.
14. You should have 6 - 8 in. of string to tie 2
or 3 feathers which dangle from the center of the dream catcher.
Tie on 2 or 3
feathers and knot.
15. Wrap a 1 in. square of felt around the knot of string
and over the base of the feathers. Tie two 4 In. pieces string around the
wrapped felt. (Your dream catcher is now complete)
The Lakota Legend Of Dream Catchers:
The Lakota tribe however, altered the dream catcher legend just a bit. They believe that the bad dreams pass through the centre hole of the dream catcher, while the good dreams are caught in the web.
Here is their story behind the dream catcher:
The legend of the dream catcher is that a spiritual leader named Lakot had a vision of Iktomi, a trickster and teacher of wisdom. In this vision, Lakot appeared as a spider. Iktomi took Lakot's willow hoop and he began to spin a web around it, working from the outside inward. As he spun, he mentioned the cycles of life: from infanthood, to childhood, to adulthood.Once we reach old age, he told Lakot, we must again be taken care of as infants. He then spoke of forces found in life, both good and evil. When he was finished with the web, he explained to Lakot that the dream catcher was a perfect circle except for the hole in the middle. He said that the dream catcher webbing would catch all good ideas, while the bad ones would fall through the hole.
Collected Imagery of 'Dreamcatchers:
Dream Catchers
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