Native American Dream Catcher History and Lore
According to Ojibway traditions, when the night falls, dreams begin to surround us. The dream catcher protects us from the nightmares in the night sky. Dreams are determined by many different factors like chance. Some dreams are however, meant for particular people.
The dream catcher was originally cradle medicine for the Ojibway. Traditionally dream catchers were made from red willow and were used medicinally for teething. Dream catchers were hung from the cradle boards also to protect the child from the bad dreams and spirits. The good dreams follow through the center and floats onto the sleeping child. The bad dreams get caught in the web and are burned away in the daylight. The beads/stones in the dream catcher’s web signify an event in the child’s life and acts as a guide for dreams to follow so they can reach the center. The beads were also traditionally made from wood.
