| The Legend of the Dream Catcher |
The Dream Catcher is a medicine wheel used by Aboriginal People for the purpose of spiritual help and protection. It is believed that the Dream Catcher will help one remember good and helpful dreams while disposing of the bad ones when it is suspended over one's bed. Bad dreams are caught in the webbing and good dreams are filtered through the feathers to be dreamed again another night. It is also known for its ability to protect from evil spirits or bad medicine to all those who respect it should some type of harm be imposed upon them.
The Dream Catcher is circular in shape because it represents the great Circle of Life of which we are all part of. The web design is symbolic of our fellow creature the spider. The spider's web is spun in one continuous strand as in a Dream Catcher. This symbolizes, honoring the belief that the spirit is eternal and will live on after the body is gone. Just the same way that the spider is dependent upon what it catches in its web, so to can our lives be guided by the interpretations we make of the dreams we remember.
The Dream Catcher is made of the four sacred elements necessary for life to exist:
Earth --- is symbolized by the hoop and the beads used in making the frame and supports. Metal comes from within mother earth as do beads which are in reality sand, rock or clay.
Air --- is symbolized by the feathers attached to the Dream Catcher as well as by the breezes that blow through, and around it.
Fire --- is represented by all of these things which make up the Dream Catcher, for without the help of Father Sun none of these things would exist today.
Water --- is also symbolized by the materials that make a Dream Catcher, for without water we would not have the soft hide of the deer to wrap the hoop, nor the strength or feathers from the bird. They all need water to exist.
While the 4 elements are necessary for life to exist they must all be treated with the greatest of respect. As in all living things, there is a delicate balance, and these elements when revealing their other side can do a great deal of harm. Think of the devastation of earthquakes when Mother Earth shakes; or the power of the wind as it twirls around, lifting up houses and buildings. And so it is that the Dream Catcher must be treated with respect, for within it dwells the power of all the elements - good and bad.
The Dream Catcher comes from the North American Indian Tribe known as the Ojibway Nation. Small replicas of the Dream Catcher would be suspended for the wooden Tikinagan (baby carrier) acting as a protective charm for the child wrapped within. Some traditional dancers will carry a Dream Catcher with them when they dance in the circle at the gatherings known as Pow-wows. It is from such a gathering that we were invited to share in the knowledge of making Dream Catchers and to spread the message of its sacred meaning to anyone interested in learning about it.
