Dream Catchers

The Spiritual Network would like to offer you the following dream catcher legend and information for your review. we believe that a dreamcatcher is a wonderful gift given to all peoples, not just Native Americans. But we whole heatedly thank the native Americans for this gift to the rest of us in the coming time of the Rainbow Warriors; for all paths lead to the same place in ULEK (Universal Love, Energy & Knowledge. This page was written by Holding Rainbow Warrior Woman who also did the Native American Section of the Spiritual Network.
Although we are not sure which Native American tribe first made the dreamcatcher it is assumed to be the Ojibway tribe. There is evidence that in the early twentieth century that they hung ornaments from a child’s cradle board. Made small with a wooden hoop dyed red plant twine made a webbing. The Pawnee tribe of the Northern Plains created charms where they say the webbing was for Spider Woman, whom is a spiritual ancestor who rules over the buffalo.
Ojibway tradition states that as the night falls, dreams and negative energies emerge and begin to fill the air all around. Some dreams, even if they are bad one, develop to send us a very important message from the Spirit world and those dreams even though they may seem like a nightmare are actually a good dream for they bring us a lesson or important message. But many bad dreams and negative energies just float around, for these undirected negative energies and dreams, the dream catcher is made.
It is said that for a child the dream catcher should be made of a wooden or willow hoop so that as the days and years pass it will break. It is to signify that the child is growing and as they grow a larger dream catcher would be made. Many use the original dream catcher for the child as symbolism’s of growth. As the child grew or significant things happened in the child's life a symbol of that special moment would be adorned to the dream catcher, so the adornments increased as the child grew older. Even as adults our dream catchers are usually of significance to us. It is very powerful to have the feathers of a totem on your dream catcher.
Feather are a very important part of the dreamcatcher. The hanging down feathers attract good dreams and as the good dreams find their way to the dream catcher they are pointed down to the sleeping person. The feathers gentle direct the positive energy and dreams to you. Thinking that energy and dreams come from the sky and all around us the dreamcatcher directs the positive energy to you while entangling the negative energy. Many Shamans and dancers will have small dreamcatchers with them for this reason. That is also why dreamcatchers make great jewelry.
In almost all dream catcher legends we find the spider. Some tribes consider the spider the Keeper of the dreams, some call it Iktome. Often the beads in the dream catcher represent the spider itself who will eat the bad dreams. Other legends say that the spider holds the bad dreams in the web until Father Sun comes and makes the bad dreams caught in the web disappear.
Dream Catcher Legend....
A spider was quietly spinning his web near the bed of grandmother. Every day she watched as the spider worked at making it's web. Several days later the grandson came in and saw that the grandmother was looking at a spider. He picked something up and went towards the spider to kill it.
Grandmother stopped him and said, "No, do not kill Iktome (the spider). Do not hurt him."
The boy thought his grandmother as silly but respected her wishes even though she would not tell him why he should not kill the spider. After the boy left grandmother returned to watching Iktome.
Then the spider spoke, "Thank you. For days you have watched me work hard when spinning my web and you have obviously enjoyed watching my work. In return for saving my life I wish to give you something. In the full moon light I shall spin you a web in the window. Watch how I weave the web and learn, for the web I weave will catch all bad dreams and energies, entangling them in the web. The small hole in the middle will allow good dreams and energies to pass through to you.
When the full moon came grandmother sat at the open window and watched Iktome weave the magical web. Near dawn Iktome finished the web. Grandmother smiled as she looked at the weaving, she thanked the spider for giving her such a wonderful gift. As she drifted off to sleep she heard the spider say, "Learn".
The gratitude and love of grandmother and Iktome touched the hearts of the ancestors and they added to Iktome’s gift as grandmother slept.
As the morning came beautiful dew drops formed on the web and the gentle breeze of sister wind blew small dove feathers to dance lightly at the bottom of the webbing. Raven placed a long feather on the sill.
As grandmother opened her eyes, Father Sun shown on the web and made the dew drops sparkle in the light.
We thank grandmother, Iktome, and our ancestors for giving us this blessed gift from the Spirit world!
Native American Legend
...good dreams slip through the web and into the sleeper during the night
...bad dreams become caught in the web and are perished by morning light.

The legend of the Native American dreamcatcher varies somewhat from tribe to tribe, but the basic theme or intention was to allow good dreams to slip through the web and into the sleeper during the night while the bad dreams were caught in the web and would be perished at morning light. The Lakota Legend (see below) has the opposing belief that the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole.

The earliest dreamcatchers, commonly called "Sacred Hoops," were crafted by parents to protect their children from nightmares. Newborns were given charms that were woven in the form of spider webs to protect their dreams so their innocence would not be harmed by the tricksters of the night.
The dream catcher charm would be hung from the hoop on the cradle.

Dreamcatcher hoops were originally made out of willow and covered with sage, the web was made from deer sinew. Modern dreamcatchers are made with wood or metal wrapped in leather strips, artificial sinew replace the now forbidden use of deer sinew. The decoration of the web along with the shape, size and colors used is left to the artisan's imagination. Feathers attached to the dreamcatcher are meant to assist the flight of good dreams.
Dream Catchers
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 that only the spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand.
As he spoke Iktomi, the spider, took the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horse hair, beads and offerings on it and began to spin a web.
He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life ... and how we begin our lives as infants and we move on to childhood, and then to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.
"But," Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, "in each time of life there are many forces -- some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But if you listen to the bad forces, they will hurt you and steer you in the wrong direction."
He continued, "There are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature, and also with the great spirit and-all of his wonderful teachings."
All the while the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web starting from the outside and working toward the center.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the Lakota elder the web and said "See, the web is a perfect circle but there is a hole in the center of the circle."
He said, "Use the web to help yourself and your people to reach your goals and make good use of your people's 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 Lakota elder passed on his vision to his people and now the Sioux Indians use the dream catcher as the web of their life.
It is hung above their beds or in their home to sift their dreams and visions.
The good in their dreams are captured in the web of life and carried with them, but the evil in their dreams escapes through the hole in the center of the web and are no longer a part of them.
They believe that the dream catcher holds the destiny of their future.