Dreamcatchers
On the Astonishing Legends blog, we’ve investigated several interesting symbols of luck and protection, from the ancient Hamsa Hand to the tradition of throwing salt over your shoulder. Today, we embark on an important symbol, the dream catcher, and the folklore, culture, and importance behind this iconic item
Although dreamcatchers, or similar items, can be found throughout North American Native American Indian traditions it is most common to link the dreamcatcher and its lore to the Ojibway, also known as the Chippewa, tribe.
Originally, the Ojibway people used a round or tear-shaped frame, usually pliable wood, and wrapped around in a spiderweb-like fashion cleaned strands of sinew. They are also sometimes adorned by feathers, beads, and other decorations. Typically, the fibers would be tied at seven points in the circle which represented the seven prophecies attributed to ‘The Great Spider.’ Asibikaashi, The Great Spider, was tasked to spread the ends of the earth. Despite her great power and infinite wisdom, her work soon became difficult and it became hard for her to directly connect to the people who worshipped her. In order to ensure her peoples safety and sweet dreams, she instructed the women of the tribe to weave these magical webs, dreamcatchers, for new babies born into the tribe.
Each family would create one of these dreamcatchers to hang over their children as a charm to protect children from their haunting nightmares. How do dreamcatchers help catch bad dreams? It is believed that the nasty dreams and negative thoughts would get caught up in the tangled web that hung above the sleeping children’s head. While good dreams could easily navigate the strands, the negative ones can’t seem to free themselves and are trapped within. It is also believed that placing certain kinds of feathers that dangle below the main circle help facilitate good dreams and energy to those sleeping below it.
Have you ever used a dreamcatcher? Or, are you aware of other cultures that have similar objects that keep bad dreams at bay?
The above image is from Wikimedia commons by Gozitano and is liscensed under CC BY-SA 4.0