Thanks to Lyn Dearborn and her son...
Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation, the Clans were
all located in one general area of that place 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 into the spider web-like weaving, unable to go any
further, 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 fill 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. In honor of their origin,
the number of points where the web connected to the hoop numbered 7
for the Seven Prophecies or 8 for Spider Woman's eight legs.
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The structure of the DreamCatcher
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The Anishnabe structure as remembered by WayaGola...
The dream catcher is fashioned from a hoop of red willow with a
webbing of animal sinue which takes the form of a web (like a spider's
web). Attached at the bottom of the loop are a bead (usually seed or
carved wood) and a feather.
Provided by Cary Miller...
They must be made with all natural materials - the hoop should be made
with willow, preferably red willow. The web should have at least seven
points
for the seven grandfathers, and may have other numbers with various meanings
- 13 for the moons, 28 for the lunar month.
Charles P. Whitecoyote says...
Also, the traditional DC are only 3 to 5 inches across. Webs that are
2 to 6 feet (I actually saw a 6 footer at a truckstop!) are beyond the
scope of tradition.
Thanks to Lyn Dearborn and her son...
It is also customary in many parts of Canada and the Northeastern
U.S. to have the dream catchers be a tear-drop/snow shoe shape.
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The application and purpose of the DreamCatcher
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The Anishnabe application as remembered by WayaGola...
The dream catcher is hung above a sleeping area in a place where the
morning light can hit it. The nature of the DreamCatcher will attract
all sorts of dreams to its webs. When bad dreams come, they do not
know the way through the web and get caught in the webbing where the
first light of day causes them to melt away and perish. The good
dreams knowing the way go through the center of the web and slide down
the feather to the sleeper below.
Provided by Cary Miller...
I have also been taught that the web catches bad/unimportant dreams and
allows the good/important dreams to come through the middle and slide
down the feather into the sleeper's head. Bad dreams are malicious in
intent, or simply unimportant fleeting images. Good dreams may be very
disturbing, but still have a very important message for the dreamer, so
that the dream catcher doesn't necessarily get rid of bad dreams in the
sense of nightmares, but bad dreams in the sense of distracting dreams
that have no significance or meaning to the dreamer. I have also been
told that they were always hung on cradleboards.
Charles P. Whitecoyote says...
I have often seen many people driving down the Highway with a
dreamcather attached to the rearview mirror. Although the
dreamcatcher is very pretty, the place for it is in a bedroom or over
a bed, not a moving vehicle (unless a baby carrage). Please stay
alert when you drive!!
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Flyer
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DREAM CATCHER
Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation, the Clans were
all located in one general area of that place known as Turtle Island.
This is the way that the old Ojibwe storytellers say how Asibikaashi
(Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (sun) back to the people.
To this day, Asibikaashi will build her special lodge before dawn. If
you are awake at dawn, as you should be, look for her lodge and you will
see this miracle of how she captured the sunrise as the light sparkles
on the dew which is gathered there.
Asibikaasi took care of her children, the people of the land, and she
continues to do so to this day. When the Ojibwe Nation dispersed to the
four corners of North America, to fill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a
difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards, so the
mothers, sisters, & Nokomis (grandmothers) took up the practice of
weaving the magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops and
sinew or cordage made from plants. It is in the shape of a circle to
represent how giizis travels each day across the sky. The dream
catcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin (dreams) & allow only
good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are just abinooji. You
will see a small hole in the center of each dream catcher where those
good bawadjige may come through. With the first rays of sunlight, the
bad dreams would perish.
When we see little asibikaashi, we should not fear her, but instead
respect and protect her. In honor of their origin, the number of points
where the web connected to the hoop numbered 8 for Spider Woman's eight
legs or 7 for the Seven Prophecies.
It was traditional to put a feather in the center of the dream catcher;
it means breath, or air. It is essential for life. A baby watching the
air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while
also being given a lesson on the importance of good air. This lesson
comes forward in the way that the feather of the owl is kept for wisdom
(a woman's feather) & the eagle feather is kept for courage (a man's
feather). This is not to say that the use of each is restricted by
gender, but that to use the feather each is aware of the gender
properties she/he is invoking. (Indian people, in general, are very
specific about gender roles and identity.) The use of gem stones,
as we do in the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done
by the old ones. Government laws have forbidden the sale of feathers
from our sacred birds, so using four gem stones, to represent the
four directions, and the stones used by western nations were
substituted by us. The woven dream catchers of adults do not use
feathers.
Dream catchers made of willow and sinew are for children, and they are
not meant to last. Eventually the willow dries out and the tension of
the sinew collapses the dream catcher. That's supposed to happen. It
belies the temporary-ness of youth. Adults should use dream catchers of
woven fiber which is made up to reflect their adult "dreams." It is also
customary in many parts of Canada and the Northeastern U.S. to have the
dream catchers be a tear-drop/snow shoe shape.
The above story is a combination of information gatherered by Lyn
Dearborn, from California, and Mary Ritchie, of the Northern Woodlands,
with assistance from Canadian elders. Miigwetch!
The above text contains my opinions, not IBM's. Unless otherwise stated.
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Nvwhtohiyada, James T. WayaGola Shupe <*> T/L: 8-553-4318
Performance Management (dept. HDR); Perf Explorer and Perf Monitor Teams
AFS ID: shupe@rchland INTERNET: jt_wayagola_shupe@vnet.ibm.com