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Native American
legends of the Dream Catcher's purpose and meaning
Dream Catchers have several different
stories to define their purpose and meaning, and the story differs depending
on who you talk to. The following information is not in any particular
order of importance and is offered only as reference.
Version
A: In an era when humans and wildlife worked together in
almost complete harmony, a bond was formed between certain creatures
that remains partially intact to this day. Despite minor negative
sides of the relationship between the human and the spider of this time,
there was an agreement between the two that served both creatures well.
The spider had a need which was met by the helping hand of the
human and the human had a need that was filled with the help of the
spider. Time has lost all information about how the human helped
to fill a pressing need which the spider had, but the same is not
true about how the spider helped the human in return. Humans,
unlike other creatures, are blessed with the ability to dream, but as
you already know, not all dreams are positive. Because everything
is subject to a dark and a light side, an up and a down, a negative
and a positive, a yin and a yang, the human needed something to help
limit the power of the negative side of dreaming. More a gesture
of necessity than kindness, the spider offered to spin a web specifically
designed and sanctified to control all dreams a human would have during
a night's sleep only if the human would help it out in return.
An agreement between the spider and the human was made and the Dream
Catcher was created to filter out the negative dreams and fuel the positive
dreams for the human. The spider designed the web to naturally
attract and suspend the negative dreams and allow for the positive dreams
to make their way through to the center of the web and onto everlasting
protection. The negative dreams would eventually dissolved by
the combination of the web's secretions and the next morning's light.
As a result, the spider was no longer needed to complete the task of
protecting the human of the bad dreams as long as a dream catcher was
in the room of a sleeping human. Despite the lack of any real
relationship between spiders and humans today, the covenant between
the spider and the human race remains intact for the better of the two,
respectively. Beads and feathers were added later by covenants
with birds and plant life (seeds) to further assist in the preservation
of good dreams and elimination of bad dreams.
Version
B: One day a spider was quietly spinning his web in his
own space. It was beside the sleeping space of Nokomis, the grandmother.
Each day, Nokomis watched the spider at work, quietly spinning away.
One day as she was watching the spider, her grandson came in the room.
"Nokomis-iya!" he shouted, glancing at the spider. He stomped
over to the spider, about to hit it. "No-keegwa," the old lady
whispered. "Don't hurt the spider." "Nokomis, why do you protect
the spider?" asked the little boy. The old lady smiled, but did
not answer. When the boy left, the spider went to the old
woman and thanked her for saving his life. He said to her, "For
many days you have watched me spin and weave my web. You have admired
my work. In return for saving my life, I will give you a gift."
He smiled his special spider smile and moved away, spinning as he went.
Soon the moon glistened on a magical silvery web moving gently in the
window. "See how I spin?" he said. "See and learn, for each web will
snare bad dreams. Only good dreams will go through the hole. This is
my gift to you. Use it so that only good dreams will be remembered.
The bad dreams will become hopelessly entangled in the web.
Version
C: In a darker, less enjoyable time, a part of history
when people were regularly tormented by nightmares, an attempt was made
to remedy the dilemma by elders in a small community. After a
number of attempts, little progress was made in curbing the bad dreams.
Eventually a larger group was formed to focus on reversing the crisis.
After many years of thought and action--and limited success, one of
the members told the group of a vision he had that night previous.
He told the group of a spider's web in the vision that would snare any
bad dreams a person had while sleeping and would let good dreams pass
through a hole in the center. The group unanimously agreed to
the power of the vision's story alone and quickly began to weave Dream
Catcher's based on what the member saw in his vision. The group
distributed the Dream Catchers throughout the community and began to
eliminate the nightmares. Tradition has kept the idea alive and
serves to protect and help many around the world even today.
Version
D: Some people groups believe that it is the dream catcher
that holds one's future, as well as the potential of future generations.
In addition to a token of good luck, the dream catcher represents the
love and dedication people have toward each other and and other family
members. It captures and preserves the good in dreams that people
have for you. People give Dream Catchers to loved ones so good
dreams will follow them through life.
Version
E: Other cultures believe dreams are messages from the
sacred spirit. The Dream Catcher webbing is said to capture these dreams
and guide them by the beads to the hole in the center of the web allowing
only the positive dreams to pass through. From there, the dream floats
down the charmed feather to the sleeping one, blessing them with good
luck and harmony throughout their life. The bad dreams are entangled
in the web until they disappear in the morning sunrise.
Version
F: Designed to encourage good dreams, people create Dream
Catchers to hang above sleeping infants and/or to give as gifts of good
will to newly married couples to hang in their homes. The
webbing of the Dream Catcher captures all the night's dreams. Bad dreams
become entangled in the webbing and fade at the first light of day.
Good dreams, led the way by inherent goodness - float along the web,
collect thoughts, knowledge, memories (represented by the beads) and
flow off the feathers through the center hole into the mind of the dreamer.
From there, the dreamer is able to hold onto the dream for the rest
of their life.
Version
G: Long ago in a dream, a young Native American maiden
was shown how a spider had spun her web. She was then instructed
how to fashion a dream catcher and told weaving them would be
a special way for the people to catch the good dreams and strengthen
their connection to the spirit world. Empowered by her dream-time
vision, the maiden began to weave her dream catcher. When she
finished, she hung the dream catcher from a willow branch above where
she usually slept. The following morning, when she rose to greet
the morning, bright colorful beads hung within the webbing and laced
by the strands dangling from her dream catcher. As she touched one of
the beads, the voice of Spirit spoke to her, "The beads are the strength
and knowledge you caught in the dream catcher as you slept. Bad
dreams were caught in the strands of the web and perished with the light
of day. Go now and take this medicine to the people."
Now both children and adults, as well as non-Native Americans find the
same spirits as the young maiden helping to prevent bad dreams and sleep
peacefully with their own dream catcher above them.
Version
H: Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation,
the Clans were all located in one general area known as Turtle Island.
Spider Woman was kept busy weaving little dream catchers on the tops
of cradle boards to ensure the babies a peaceful slumber. Bad
dreams stuck to the spider's web-like weaving, unable to advance, while
the good dreams find their way through the openings to the visions of
the dreamer. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish.
When the Ojibwe Nation dispersed to fulfill a prophecy, spider woman
had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards,
so the mothers, sisters, & grandmothers took up the practice of weaving
the magical webs for the babies using willow hoops and sinew or cordage
made from plants.
Version
I: Long ago when the world was young, an old Lakota spiritual
leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision,
Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form
of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke,
Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers,
horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web.
He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life; i.e. how we begin our
lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally,
we go to old age where we must be taken care of as we did when we were
infants, completing the cycle. "But", Iktomi said as he continued to
spin his web, "in each season of life there are many forces that influence
us; some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces,
they will steer you in a positive direction. If you listen and
follow the bad forces, they'll steer you in a negative direction and
may hurt you. So, these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony
of nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, "The
web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help
your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams
and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch
your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole." The elder
passed on his vision to the people and now many Indian people hang a
dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The
good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but
the evil in the dreams drops through the hole in the center of the web
and are no longer a part of their lives. It's said that the dream
catcher holds the potential of the future.
Version
J: The round shape of a dream catcher is said to represent
that path of the sun as it journey's across the sky. Some say
a dream catcher must have 8 points (spider woman's legs) or 7
points (the 7 prophecies) connecting the web to the hoop. The
feather represents breath or air, and is said to give children lessons
on the importance of 'good air.' Some tribes do not put
feathers on dream catchers woven for adults.
Version
K: The dream catcher resembles a spider's web. There
are usually beads, stones, feathers and other trinkets woven into the
web. When a bad dream attempts to bother you while you sleep,
it becomes confused by the trinkets and gets caught in the web.
The stones and trinkets in the web also help to hold the bad dream until
morning when the sun shines and burns them away. Good dreams,
which inherently are pure and intuitive, easily navigate through the
hole in the center and enter into your dream cycle. Dream Catcher
tradition suggests placement of a dream catcher to the direction associated
with the individual by their shaman.
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