Dreamcatchers originated in the Ojibwa Nation during the pan-Indian movement of the 1960s and 1970s they were adopted by Native Americans of a number of different Nations. They came to be seen by some as a symbol of unity among the various Indian Nations, and as a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures.
Traditionally, the Ojibwa construct dreamcatchers by tying sinew strands in a web around a small round or tear-shaped frame (in a way roughly similar to their method for making snowshoe webbing). The resulting "dream-catcher", hung above the bed, is then used as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares.
The Ojibwa believe that a dreamcatcher filters 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."
In the course of becoming popular outside of the Ojibwa Nation, and then outside of the pan-Indian communities, "dreamcatchers" are now made, exhibited and sold by some New age groups and individuals.
Dreamcatchers originated in the Ojibwa Nation during the pan-Indian movement of the 1960s and 1970s they were adopted by Native Americans of a number of different Nations. They came to be seen by some as a symbol of unity among the various Indian Nations, and as a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures.
