Dreamcatcher: Powerful Protective Amulet Of North American Indian People

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - In some Native American cultures, a typical dreamcatcher was a handmade hanging ornament consisting of a woven net in a circle and certain freely hanging feathers, beads, or ribbons. The Native tribes attributed specific magical properties to dreamcatchers,

Each part of the catcher has its function.

This unusual ornament, which is considered by many to be a kind of amulet, originates from North America. It was invented and created by tribal Indians who attributed the dreamcatchers to the secret power of protection against bad dreams and all negative influences.

These people also believed the charms had magic powers that could turn away evil influences or harm, averting the evil eye and deflecting misfortune. Bad dreams could be filtered through the catcher's net and then, along with the first rays of the sun, flow down freely on the feathers and become annihilated.

Origin Of Dreamcatcher

The dreamcatcher is the "spider web charm" (Ojibwe: asubakacin "net-like"). It was invented by the Ojibway (Chippewa) tribe living in Canada and the northern Midwestern United States (they have the fifth-largest population among Native Americans).

According to an Ojibwe legend, these "spiderwebs" protective charms originate with Spider-Woman, who takes care of the children and the people on the land.

Later, when the Ojibwe people spread across North America, Asibikaashi (Spider-Woman) could not reach all the children, so the mothers and grandmothers had to weave webs by themselves for the youngest's protection and hang them over a cradle.

Lakota people - one of the three tribes of the Great Sioux Nation - wove dreamcatchers because they were supposed to prevent troubles and stop nightmares and anxieties. Only pleasant dreams and thoughts were believed to pass through and reach the sleeping person.

Siouan-speaking tribes say that dreams can influence people for good and evil purposes. Using dreamcatchers gave protection against evil ones.

Dreamcatchers Surrounded By Legends

Legend has it that once, an Indian woman had trouble with her child who, tormented by nightmares, did not want to sleep. In search of help, a desperate woman went to an old spinner, who recommended her to make a network of life from willow twigs and cotton fibers.

The woman followed her advice and made a catcher herself, who, from then on, protected her child during sleep.

According to some beliefs, catchers help remember dreams; they are a symbolic shield protecting the household and its family from all evil that can cross the house's threshold.

Therefore, sometimes people hang them at the entrance to the house.

Credit: Public Domain

According to an ancient belief, the dreamcatcher's round ring symbolizes the closed circle of life, the Earth, and the four sides of the world. The net is comparable to family ties, blood connections, and unity in a group of closest people.

Yet Another Wonderful Legend

The legend tells that a young Native American made the first dreamcatcher. This young man had a magic rite and was looking for a vision that would show him the way in life. It was then that the spider gave him the secrets of the network: the circle represents life, while the network connects prayers and dreams with the center, and through the hole, they go to the heavens and the Creator.

Dreamcatcher In Modern Times

Today, the catchers do not have to be traditionally round as in the past. Drop-shaped and even three-dimensional ones are popular. For some people, the catcher is a kind of "psychic filter," a sort of shield - a protector against the evil lurking around us.

In addition to religious and magical significance, the dreamcatcher offers a touch with positive powers.

Unfortunately, there are also different types of "dreamcatchers," many of which bear little resemblance to the traditional styles associated with the Native Americans but are not authentic.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Wri

Updated on October 1, 2022

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