On Dreamcatchers//
First of all, for those of you who are reading this and don’t know me, hi hello my name is Violet, I am a Muscogee Creek Native American.
Second, I have been asked about dream catchers by many friends and strangers, so I am writing this post with my personal findings and opinions on the subject.
Origin//
•The dreamcatcher comes from the Ojibwe and Chippewa people. Traditionally, it is made from bent wood, sinew and one or two feathers. The sinew is weaved to mimick a spider’s web. In many native religions, including my own, Grandmother Spider played a huge role in the placement of the sun in the sky. Dreamcatchers were traditionally hung over children’s beds to trap their nightmares.
Expansion//
•During the 60s and 70s, the making of dreamcatchers became popular with other Native tribes, such as the Pueblo, Navajo, Lakota and Cherokee peoples. But as far as I’ve seen, the Ojibwe are the only traditional creators before the ‘pan-indian’ movement. This movement during the 70’s involved the sharing of many cultural aspects across many tribes such as dreamcatchers, fancy dancing, powwows, certain cleansing rituals, beadwork styles, Etc. This was no appropriation, but appreciation. Our tribes adopted certain things and shared certain things from one another to unite us in all of our relative struggles. We had all suffered at the hands of the invaders. The pan-Indian movement was a way of uniting us and making peace.
Symbolism//
•Dreamcatchers are a very popular gift among native peoples. They symbolize peace, the unity of all Natives and are often considered sweet gifts given out of love.
Modernization//
•Nowadays you’ll often find them with beads, colored leather, and multiple feathers hanging from the frame. Every Native Reservation produces and sells dreamcatchers, it seems. You can buy them at almost every powwow.
•While traditionally hung above a bed frame, now they can be found as home decor and even on rear view mirror of cars. Some Natives view the dreamcatcher as the Christian equivalent of cheap plastic crosses sold at malls.
•Sadly, outside of certified Native-made stores and powwows, dreamcatchers are often made and mass produced by underpaid workers who are not Native and do not practice Medicine in Asian sweatshops. These are cheap imitations and are insulting to our history and beliefs.
How it works//
•Every Native has the Medicine. It lives and comes from our Puyvfekcv, the fire within. There are specific people in each tribe, clan, and village who devote their lives to the practice and preservation of the Medicine. In my tribe, they are called the Heleshayv, the healers.
•When a Native weaves a dreamcatcher, they are honoring Grandmother Spider and requesting her aid in the banishment of unpleasant dreams. I guess one could say that it is a form of prayer, and a request for blessing. The Native uses Medicine when they create, and so too is true with the dream catcher.
•Plastic, cheap, non-native made reproductions of dreamcatchers, in my extensive experience, do not work.
•A dreamcatcher should, in my experience, be cleansed in smoke and prayer every once in a while, because the dreamcatchers duty is to trap nightmares. So when too many accumulate, where are they supposed to go? They will often escape through the center and return from whence they came.
Appropriation//
•I do not recommend non-Natives owning a dreamcatcher, do to the religious and ceremonial ties to Native history that they carry. Much like frybread and spirit animals/totems, they have become a universally Native entity, carrying the spirit of Union amongst our people, and peace.
•Also, if you are not Native, regularly cleansing a dreamcatcher can be difficult, as Grandmother Spider is part of our closed traditions, as is the sacred practice of Smudging, which is often used to cleanse it.
•If you absolutely MUST have a piece of our culture, you must buy Native, or receive it from a Native as a gift. It will have no Medicine and will not work if you buy that cheap mass produced reproduction you see in gift shops. Don’t do it.
•Respect the Spirit of the Dreamcatcher. •Respect Native culture.
•Respect our wishes.
•Respect us.
Thank you for reading! Mvto!
