The spider woman could not visit and protect every child from evil energies each night.

But, as the tribe grew and moved further away from the reservation, the spider woman found it difficult to protect everyone. The dreamcatcher can be traced back to the Ojibwe tribe, who called these sacred talismans asabikeshiinh, which roughly translates to spider.Īccording to the Ojibwe folklore, a spider woman known as Asibikaashi guarded and protected the adults and children in the reservations. Many reservations in the USA and Canada spot several dreamcatchers as these items are a core aspect of the culture. The Native Americans are the original creators of dreamcatchers. Let’s look at the origins of dreamcatchers and the meaning behind these talismans. Traditional dreamcatchers would have some feathers and beads dangling from the hoop. It was common to wrap the wooden hoop with natural leather. In particular, the piece was made from a wooden hoop from which a web would be woven using natural threads. The original Native American dreamcatchers were small, generally a few inches in size, and made from natural woods, threads, and charms.

The brightly colored dreamcatchers in the fleas markets and gift stores are more of jewelry and home décor pieces than cultural and historical treasures. Today, dreamcatchers are a far cry from their original look and purpose. Ancient Indian tribes hand-made dreamcatchers and used them as talismans to keep away bad omens. Let’s jump right in and find what dreamcatchers mean.ĭreamcatchers are popular crafts pieces originating from the Native American culture.

So, what do dreamcatchers mean? In this article, I will explain how these beautiful art pieces came to be and what they symbolize. If history, culture, and spiritualism interest you, you might be fascinated by dreamcatchers’ origins, meaning, and symbolism. Many of the dreamcatchers you see in shops and markets today are not the original pieces and are mostly made from artificial instead of natural materials. But, these pieces of art have a long and interesting history. Have you encountered a beautiful and brilliant dreamcatcher and wondered what these accessories mean?ĭreamcatchers are popular souvenir options and are even a fashion statement these days.

Origins of dream catchers