The Spiritual Origin and Use of the Dream Catcher

The Lakota (Sioux) legend of the Dream catcher talks of an old Lakota spiritual leader, who while on a high mountain had a vision about Iktomi the great teacher of wisdom. Iktomi appeared as a spider and spoke in a sacred language only the spiritual leader would understand. While Iktomi spoke, he took the leaders willow hoop which contained beads, feathers and offerings to the gods, and began to spin a web upon it. He told the leader about the cycle of life, beginning as infants, and working through childhood to adulthood, and on to old age where we end up being looked after as infants. Iktomi gave the web to the leader and told him that if he believed in great spirits the web would catch his good dreams and ideas, and bad ones would pass through the hole in the middle thus helping the leader and his people to realize their dreams, ideas and visions.

The Ojibwe (Chippewa) have long been know for their story telling and deep belief in the spirit world, and are considered as being the first tribe to have used the Dreamcatcher. It is told that they were originally hung above a babies cradle to trap bad dreams in the web, while only good dreams being smart, found their way to the center hole and slipped down the feathers to the sleeping infant. Dreams are considered by the Ojibwe to be messages from the spirit world. The Ojibwe (Chippewa) have long been know for their story telling and deep belief in the spirit world, and are considered as being the first tribe to have used the Dreamcatcher. It is told that they were originally hung above a babies cradle to trap bad dreams in the web, while only good dreams being smart, found their way to the center hole and slipped down the feathers to the sleeping infant. Dreams are considered by the Ojibwe to be messages from the spirit world.

Various ways were tried including the giving of gifts and sacrifices to the bad spirits, to try and keep them away. This proved to be totally unsuccessful, and brought about the appearance of medicine men and Shaman in an attempt to put things right. As most visions appeared in dreams, they began trying to find a way of trapping bad dreams. At this time they had many hanging totems such as the Medicine Wheel.

A Shaman who had been very ill and plagued with bad dreams and visions slept with a Medicine Wheel hanging above him, in an attempt to make himself well. During the night a spider found its way down to the wheel and began to spin a web. In a very short time the web covered the wheel except for a small hole in the center. As if it was intended, an Owl flying above in the dark of night shed a feather which floated down, and as if guided caught in the web, hanging as if intended from the center hole. As the sun came up in the morning the Shaman woke not having had any bad dreams and the illness gone. He looked around at the Medicine Wheel feeling that this had made him well and was amazed to see the web and feather hanging from the hole. From that day, the Dreamcatcher was born and was hung above not only babies but also adults as they slept.