Dream Catchers

In Ojibwa (Chippewa) culture, a dreamcatcher is a handmade object based on a willow hoop, on which is woven a loose net or web. The dreamcatcher is then decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads.

The resulting "dream-catcher", hung above the bed, is then used as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. Dreamcatchers made of willow and sinew are not meant to last forever but instead are intended to dry out and collapse over time as the child enters the age of adulthood (ours are not made of willow and sinew so will last indefinitely!)

The Ojibwa believe that a dreamcatcher changes a person's dreams. "Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through . . . Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day."