Dream Catchers: Grasp Your Destiny

Legend:

A grandmother once was at home, weaving, and doing beadwork. Her grandson stopped for her with some food, and saw a spider. He picked up a piece of wood and was about to squash the spider when he was stopped by his grandmother, in awe. The grateful spider profusely thanked grandmother and assured her that he would weave a magical web in exchange for his life, which would capture all her bad dreams and only let the good ones flow through. The Ojibwa people now made magical catchers of dreams and hung them over the cradles of their babies.

History:

Today the Dream Catcher is associated with Native American culture in general, but it is often believed that dream catchers originated in particular from the Ojibwa Chippewa tribe. The Lakota tribe also has its own legend about the Dream Catcher's origins, but most ethnographers believe that the Dream Catcher have been passed down through intermarriage and trade from the Ojibwe. The Ojibwe word for Dream Catcher is asabikeshiinh actually means "spider," which refers to the web woven to cover the hoop loosely. The dream catcher patterns are similar to the webbing used by these Native Americans to make snowshoes as well.

Parts of Dream Catchers:

Web:

 Represents a spider that weaves an eternal life web. So, when you dream, you weave your life dreams and energy in the universe.

Beads:

The web beads are of 7 directions, so they are called upon to bless you.

Ring:

Represents the Mother Earth and the humble walk that we walk upon her. It also represents aspects of the mind and spirit of one's personality, moods, and emotions.

Feathers:

Good dreams float through the webbing and touch the feathers from which they trickle down to the child who is sleeping.

The dream catcher's pieces all have a certain significance.

Once they weave the ring and the web. It stands for love, honesty and purity. All of the dream catcher element together represent the earth, the fire and the water. The things that we need to live up to.

They are popular in modern times, as a variety of accessories.

 Written by: James Miranda