Highlights
Dream catchers originated with the Ojibwe people- a group of natives of North America. Ojibwas used to hang dream catchers above the bed as a charm to protect sleeping people, usually children, from nightmares. Pushtiie Shiv Shakti who is famously known for her stint in Mahi Way telvision show says, “They were used in two ways, one to help a child keep bad dreams away and secondly for someone staring a new journey. It was used as a map to keep them on track. In India, there have been the ‘Torans’ that are hung at the entrance of the house. They also help call in abundance and positive energies.” Pushtiie is a healer and makes authentic dream catchers too.
This handmade object made with willow hoops and sinew or cordage made from plants and decorated with sacred items such as feathers and beads is also considered as a symbol of unity among the various Indian nations. The shape of the dream catcher is a circle because it represents how the sun and moon travel each day across the sky.
Sharing details about the elements used in a dream catcher, Pushtiie says, “A frame was usually made out of either river reed or the wood of the individual’s guardian tree. The inner material was usually again the river reed or the skin of their power animal – if it was willingly given it to them. There were different things placed within the inner web that meant something special to the person making it. Things that are suspended from the ring could be the feather of a bird that was the power animal of native Americans. Dream catchers are always supposed to be gifted to a person and not taken on purpose. Sometimes, even a piece of bone or a tooth. anything that is important to the person making the dreamcatcher was put in to remind them of the aim.”
This symbol of positivity has gone through various variations as the generations passed. The original design suggested a web and feathers hanging. While the web filtered bad dreams, feathers directed the good dreams to the sleeping owner of the dream catcher.
Dream catchers should be hand-crafted
As dream catchers became popular, the groups outside native Americans started designing them for mass profit. But this is not how it should be. A dream catcher should be made of products that are a part of the circle of life and not produced from metals and man-made textiles. Each dream catcher should have its own story and must have a different meaning too.
Dream catchers today
Comments (0)
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let’s work together to keep the conversation civil.
Play Exciting Puzzles & Games!
Crossword
Sudoku
Word Search
Visual Stories
Life Style
Rakul Preet Singh’s secret DIY beauty hacks
Life Style
Popular contemporary Korean authors you must read
Entertainment
10 Trendy pictures of Rukshar Dhillon
Life Style
B-town actors with the strongest biceps
Reliving Sidharth Shukla’s journey in Bigg Boss 13
Entertainment
Sohini Sarkar sets sky-high ethnic style goal
Life Style
Indian actors who are popular with the Koreans
Entertainment
Soumya Chandrakar’s amazing pictures
Entertainment
Rare pics of Bappi Lahiri with personalities
Recipes
Bappi Lahiri passes away, ending an era; here’s a glimpse of his love for food
Sponsored Stories
Decoding the significance of health insurance
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Find out about the latest Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty trends, Relationship tips & the buzz on Health & Food.
Thanks for subscribing.
Please Click Here to subscribe other newsletters that may interest you, and you’ll always find stories you want to read in your inbox.
A weekly guide to the biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing delivered to your inbox.
Thank you for subscribing!
Your subscription is confirmed for news related to biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing.
Featured in Lifestyle
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif create fashion moments together
Most stylish luxurious cars of South Indian actors
How each zodiac sign reacts when they are NERVOUS
Bollywood celebrities with the best abs
Popular contemporary Korean authors you must read
Bappi Lahiri passes away, ending an era; here’s a glimpse of his love for food
Foods that can help prevent OSA
Lovestruck: Heartwarming quotes by Colleen Hoover on love, life, and hurt
You’ve probably seen dream catchers in a gift shop, in magazines or on television. But do you really know where they come from and what they are used for?
Also called nets or dream traps, they were invented and widely used by the Ojibwe tribe. The territories of this tribe stretched from Canadian to North American regions. The development of the tribe through intermarriage and exchanges, in particular, allowed the diffusion of this object. A few years later, another tribe, Lakota, also began to use dream catchers.
A bit of history :
For many cultures throughout the world, spiders are dreaded and frightening insects. For the Ojibwe tribe, however, they were actually a symbol of protection and comfort. An old Ojibwa legend says that at the origin of the world, a mystical woman was nicknamed “the spider woman”. She provided spiritual protection for the tribe, especially for young children, babies and newborns. The Ojibwe tribe kept growing and expanding over the years. It became difficult for the spider woman to continue to provide protection for all the tribe members who had migrated to distant lands. She then came up with the idea of creating the Native American Dream Catcher. Following his example, mothers and grandmothers in turn recreated it to protect their children and families from a distance.
What virtues for the Native American ?
Native American dream catchers from the Ojibwe tribe were traditionally used as talismans. Their purpose was to protect sleepers, especially children, from bad dreams, nightmares and evil spirits. Native Americans believed that at night the air was filled with dreams, both good and bad. They would hang the dream catcher over their beds. They had to be careful that daylight could reach it. As its name suggests, it attracts and then catches in its web all kinds of dreams and thoughts.
The beautiful dreams then pass through the threads and slide down the feathers to reach the sleeper and comfort him. Bad dreams, on the other hand, are trapped in the web and then destroyed, burned by the daylight. The interpretation of dreams has strongly influenced the cultural and spiritual beliefs of Native Americans for centuries. They believed that dreams had an influence on the conscious soul of the dreamer. According to them, dreams could have an impact on character traits such as trust, maturity, kindness and loyalty.
How to use them?
In the Native American tribes, women were tasked with making dream catchers by hand to protect their families, children and grandchildren. A dream catcher has a fairly small circumference and consists of a wooden ring covered with a canvas or net made of natural fibres. It is also decorated with sacred objects such as feathers and beads. All these elements must be natural. Each part of the Native American Dream Catcher has its own definition and is closely related to the natural world. The dream catcher is shaped like a circle, as it represents the circle of life. It is also a metaphor for the journey of the sun and the moon, each day and each night across the sky.
The canvas is responsible for catching bad dreams and evil spirits during the night, and getting rid of them when the day comes. Feathers, on the other hand, allow beautiful dreams to reach the sleeper. Not all Native American tribes agree on the meaning of the beads on the canvas. Some say that the pearl symbolizes the spider that wove the web, while others say that the pearl symbolizes the beautiful dreams that are immortalized. Originally, dream catchers were attached above the cradles of newborns or to the headboards of children’s beds. Over the years, as the belief developed, adults also decided to protect their sleep and it was then possible to find them above the parents’ beds.
Have You Ever Wondered.
- How do dream catchers catch dreams?
- What is a dream catcher made of?
- Can you make your own homemade dream catcher?
Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Caitlin. Caitlin Wonders, “How does dream catchers work” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Caitlin!
Yawn! Here in Wonderopolis, it’s just about time for a nap. Don’t worry, though, sweet dreams lie ahead!
Humans have long been fascinated by dreams. Some try to remember and interpret them. Others forget dreams as soon as they wake. In some American Indian cultures , people try to influence their dreams. How? With dream catchers!
Dream catchers are handmade crafts. They consist of a round hoop (often made of willow wood) woven with a loose web of yarn. They’re decorated with beads and feathers, which hang below the hoop .
Dream catchers started in the Ojibwe Nation. They have a special place in the culture’s religion. Ancient stories tell of the Spider Woman, a figure who was helpful to the Ojibwe people. When the people all lived on Turtle Island, the Spider Woman helped protect them. As they moved across North America, however, this became more difficult.
That’s why the Spider Woman began inspiring mothers and other female family members to make dream catchers. These woven webs look a bit like those a spider makes. The dream catchers served to protect children from bad dreams and thoughts. Over time, dream catchers caught on with many other American Indian peoples.
How exactly do dream catchers . . . well, catch dreams? Some say good dreams pass through the web. They float down the hanging beads and feathers to sleeping children. Bad dreams, however, are caught in the web. As the first rays of the morning light hit the dream catcher, the bad dreams disappear. Children sleeping under a dream catcher are thus said to be protected from nightmares .
Others interpret the dream catcher’s function in a different way. They say instead that bad dreams pass through the holes in the web and exit out the nearest window. The good dreams, on the other hand, get caught in the web. They slide down the beads and feathers to the sleeping child below.
However dream catchers are believed to work, their underlying meaning and symbolism remain the same. They serve a protective purpose. Those who believe in dream catchers say that they act as a filter for dreams. They send good dreams to the sleeper and the bad dreams away.
Traditional dream catchers are made with eight points where the web attaches to the hoop . These eight points represent the eight legs of a spider. The spider symbolizes energy, wisdom, and learning. For some American Indians, dream catchers have a broader meaning. They are totems that represent good energy and help to neutralize bad energy—whether you’re awake or asleep!
Have you ever slept beneath a dream catcher? If you’re part of an American Indian nation, maybe you’ve even made your own! If not, it’s always important to learn about and value the significance of items like dream catchers. They’re an important part of cultures that have existed for thousands of years.
Standards : CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.W.4
Wonder Contributors
We’d like to thank:
Violet , Camila , Kimberly , Tyler , and Sakira
for contributing questions about today’s Wonder topic!
