- Anishinaabe Dreamcatcher
- Ojibwe Waasa-Inaabidaa—PBS Documentary Featuring The History And Culture Of The Anishinaabe-Ojibwe People Of The Great Lakes (United States-focused).
Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation, the Clans were all located in one general area of that place known as Turtle Island. This is the way that the old Ojibwe storytellers say how Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (sun) back to the people. To this day, Asibikaashi will build her special lodge before dawn. If you are awake at dawn, as you should be, look for her lodge and you will see this miracle of how she captured the sunrise as the light sparkles on the dew which is gathered there.
Dream Catchers Dream Catchers are a spiritual tool used to help assure good dreams to those that sleep under them. A dream catcher is usually placed over a place you would sleep where the morning light can hit it. As you sleep all dreams from the spirit world have to pass through the dream catcher. The Origins of the Dreamcatcher The dreamcatcher origins can be traced back to Native American Culture when the Anishinabe people first created it. These tribes resided along the border of the Northern United States and Canada. All of the Anishinabe people are the nation of the Three Fires. Benton-Banai thinks the people were mistakenly referred to as the Chippewa. Densmore said that: “The meaning of the word Ojibwe has been the subject of much discussion. The derivation of the word from a root meaning “to pucker” has been conjectured. Dreamcatcher History: Origin and background of the dreamcatcher tradition, with photographs of old Ojibwe dreamcatchers. How To Make Dreamcatchers: Good online instructions for making your own dreamcatcher, with drawings and patterns. Ojibway Dreamcatcher Legends: Traditional ideas about dreamcatchers and their meaning from Ojibway culture. Dreamcatcher Promotions Swan Lake First Nation 100-300 Alpine Way Headingley, MB R4H 0E1 www.dreamcatcherpromotions.com [email protected] 1-844-504-9595 Hours Monday 9am – 4:30pm Tuesday 9am – 4:30pm Wednesday 9am – 4:30pm Thursday 9am – 4:30pm Friday 9am – 4:30pm Saturday Closed Sunday Closed.
Asibikaasi took care of her children, the people of the land, and she continues to do so to this day. When the Ojibwe Nation dispersed to the four corners of North America, to fill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards, so the mothers, sisters, & Nokomis (grandmothers) took up the practice of weaving the magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops and sinew or cordage made from plants. It is in the shape of a circle to represent how giizis travels each day across the sky. The dream catcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin (dreams) & allow only good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are just abinooji. You will see a small hole in the center of each dream catcher where those good bawadjige may come through. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish. When we see little asibikaashi, we should not fear her, but instead respect and protect her. In honor of their origin, the number of points where the web connected to the hoop numbered 8 for Spider Woman’s eight legs or 7 for the Seven Prophecies.
Anishinaabe Dreamcatcher
It was traditional to put a feather in the center of the dream catcher; it means breath, or air. It is essential for life. A baby watching the air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while also being given a lesson on the importance of good air. This lesson comes forward in the way that the feather of the owl is kept for wisdom (a woman’s feather) & the eagle feather is kept for courage (a man’s feather). This is not to say that the use of each is restricted by gender, but that to use the feather each is aware of the gender properties she/he is invoking. (Indian people, in general, are very specific about gender roles and identity.) The use of gem stones, as we do in the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done by the old ones. Government laws have forbidden the sale of feathers from our sacred birds, so using four gem stones, to represent the four directions, and the stones used by western nations were substituted by us. The woven dream catchers of adults do not use feathers.
Ojibwe Waasa-Inaabidaa—PBS Documentary Featuring The History And Culture Of The Anishinaabe-Ojibwe People Of The Great Lakes (United States-focused).
Dream catchers made of willow and sinew are for children, and they are not meant to last. Eventually the willow dries out and the tension of the sinew collapses the dream catcher. That’s supposed to happen. It belies the temporary-ness of youth. Adults should use dream catchers of woven fiber which is made up to reflect their adult “dreams.” It is also customary in many parts of Canada and the Northeastern U.S. to have the dream catchers be a tear-drop/snow shoe shape.