Ojibway (Chippewa) Dreamcatcher
I have come across two different stories about how the dreamcatcher came into existence. The first was the legend of a Ojibway boy who entered his mother's room and saw
a spider weaving its web in a corner. The boy ran to the corner and went to crush the spider in fear that it was dangerous. His mother called
to him and stop
ped him, telling him to leave it be as it meant no harm. The spider was greatful and thanked the women, then offered her the gift of weaving and said he would weave webs which would tangle bad dreams and allow good dreams to enter her room.
The second legend is also Ojibway. In this legend the spider woman created a web which helped bring the sun back to the people. It is said that if you rise at dawn and see a web, the dew that is captured there holds the rays of the sun and guides it through the day. The spider is revered by the Ojibway people.
The dreamcatcher is designed with eight anchor points to represent the legs of the spiderwoman. The hole in the centre is meant to allow the good dreams to pass through. Dream catchers were traditionally made of willow and sinew. feathers were attached in order to allow the good dreams to slide gently downward to the dreamer without disturbance. A feather was added to the centre hole to represent the breath of life. Precious stones were not originally added . These are modern inclusions, which came about as a result of the gathering of eagle and owl feathers being banned by the government. O
wl feathers are considered wise (female) and eagle feathers stand for courage (male).
Below is a Ojibway Pow-wow in which a warrior wears dreamcatchers on his costumer whilst dancing. The dreamcatcher is composed of a dominent outer circle and the woven thread acts as a graphic image in itself. The fine woven lines contrast against a dark background and tend to catch the light with the opulescent quality of the sinew. Each dreamcatcher is unique as it is a reflection of the individual style of its creator.
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