Dreamcatchers ~ The Story

Dreamcatchers ~ I love them…and I’m thinking it’s safe to assume that you do too, or you  wouldn’t be here, right?! 😍
There is something about these dainty creations that fascinates me. When I look at one, I can see the black shadows of nightmares getting tangled in the net, while the airy and happy dreams slip through the hole and slide down the feathers to the sleeper.
As I was sitting in my studio, tying and knotting the delicate web inside a hoop, I started to wonder about the inspiration, the reason. Well, I know they originate with the Native-Americans, I know about the nightmares being captured, and disappearing with the light of day. But what’s the story, the legend? So I did some research. After a little digging – visiting various websites, clicking on numerous links, I got lucky! I found the beautiful tale about the origin of the dreamcatcher…

Dreamcatchers originate with the people of the Ojibwe Tribe. Through intermarriage and trade they were later embraced by neighboring nations. Ancient tales of the Ojibwe people speak of the children’s caretaker, Spider Woman, known as Asibikaashi (the inanimate form of the word for spider of the Ojibwe people is ‘asabikeshiinh’) She is said to have taken care of all the children and people on the land.
As the Ojibwe nation began to fan out and settled all over North America, it was difficult for Asibikaashi to protect all the children. The mothers and grandmothers started weaving magical webs, using willow hoops and sinew, and would hang the charm above the cribs and beds to protect the wee ones from nightmares.

And so, thanks to Asibikaashi, and the mothers and grandmothers of the Ojibwe people, we get to enjoy these beautiful charms and are blessed with their protective powers.

Here are some Dreamcatchers I made over the past few weeks…

 

They even found their way into my jewelry…

As always ~ Thank you so very much for visiting! 💖
’til next time
~Tina xoxo