ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Origin of the Dream Catcher

Updated on May 27, 2012

The dream catcher has long been a part of Native American culture. According to several legends, they were originally, designed as protection from bad dreams. They captured bad dreams and allowed only pleasant ones to filter through. It was also supposed to teach the natural wisdom of nature.

Dream catchers today are made by many Indian Nations but were first designed and used by the Ojibwe, also called Ojibwa, Ojibwayor, Chippewa or Chippeway. In earlier times they were known as the “Anishnabe,” who inhabited the Great Lakes region. An Anishnabe story tells how the dream catcher came to be.

At one time their people were being tormented by nightmares. Many elders and medicine men tried to solve the problem, but failed. A council was called during which an elder had a vision of a spider's web in a circular hoop with feathers and beads attached. It was supposed to capture bad dreams, while letting good ones pass through to the feather and navigate its way down to the sleeping recipient.

The tribe commenced fashioning the object described by the elder. When they were finished and used as prescribed by the elder’s vision, the bad dreams went away. It’s thought stories about the dream catcher spread quickly to neighboring tribes and eventually became a part of their culture as well. Some Native Americans revere the hoop, because it symbolized strength and unity.

In the beginning they were constructed by weaving sinew strands into a web around a small round or tear shaped bent wood frame, usually on twigs of red willow. Some are wrapped with leather. It’s said all bad dreams would get caught in it. The dream catcher was to be hung above a sleeping person’s bed, preferably where it would catch the morning sun. The bad dreams caught in the web would then be destroyed by the light. Often a semi-precious gemstone would be added. Only one, since there is only one creator.

Another legend comes from long ago the Lakota, when an old Lakota spiritual leader had a vision on top of a high mountain. In his vision, a spider appeared and began talking to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, beads and other offerings on it, and began to spin a web ion it. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, explaining there were good and evil forces in life. Listen to the good and ignore the evil was the spider's message.

When the wise spider finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, “This is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. If you believe in the Great Spirit, it will sift your good thoughts and the bad ones will be trapped.

Today, people buy and make dream catchers practically everywhere. They are seen in many places, like on people’s porches, hanging from rearview mirrors or as miniature ear rings. There are even those who elect to have one tattooed on their body. However, if you decide to buy one, beware. Some are mass produced by sweatshops in some far off corner of the world and cheaply made…basically knockoffs of the real McCoy.

There are good instructions on how to make your own dream catcher at: http://www.dream-catchers.org/make-dream-catchers.php

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)