Description
A dream catcher is a traditional object, originally from the Ojibwe (Anishinaabeg), a Native American tribe of North America. Because of its spiritual or esoteric associations, this object also came into use among followers of New Age thought in the late 20th century. A dream catcher consists of a ring (usually made of willow wood) with a web inside it. Beads or stones are often embedded in the web, and feathers hang below the ring. The Ojibwe believe that making and hanging a dream catcher above the bed wards off bad dreams. For centuries, parents have made dream catchers to hang above their children's cribs or carrycots. It is believed that the heavens are saturated with dreams—good dreams, but also bad dreams. During the night, bad dreams are caught in the web, and according to tradition, they slide off in the morning and dry in the morning sun. Good dreams can pass unhindered through the center of the dream catcher and thus enter the life of the dreamer.
