The Legends of the Dreamcatcher

The legends are told of long ago when the world was young, an old lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language that only the spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand.
As he spoke Iktomi, the spider, took the elders willow hoop which had feathers, horse hairs, beads and offerings on it and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life....how we begin our lives as infants and we move on to childhood, and then to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.
Iktomi said, "In each time of life there are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature, and also with the great spirit and all of his wonderful teachings. "Iktomi gave the web to the Lakota elder and said, "See, the web is a perfect circle but there is a hole in the center of the circle. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good dreams and ideas, and the bad ones will go through the hole. Use the web to help yourself and your people to reach your goals and make good use of your people's ideas, dreams and visions."
The Lakota elder passed on his vision to his people and now the Lakota's use the dreamcatcher as the web of their life. It is hung above their beds or in their home to sift their dreams and visions. The good of their dreams is captured in the web of life and carried with them...but the evil in their dreams escapes through the center hole, and are no longer part of them.
As told by the Chippewa, who are said to have originated the Dreamcatcher. While our children sleep the evil spirits come, to terrify even the youngest of them. Then said the Medicine Woman, to each mother in fear, should she lose her child to the evil ones, for they cry and awake with the knowledge of terrible demons in their eyes. You must weave a spiders web with love from a willow hoop, using nettlestalk cord, dyed red with sacred herbs. As you say the sacred words, with each weave you shall weave with only happy thoughts and playful things. Leave in the center an opening, as your open heart, which lets only good things pass. Hang from the loop the sacred feathers, in this way the good spirit dreams, being smart, will find their way through the center hole and float down the sacred feathers onto the sleeping one. The bad spirit dreams, being stupid, will get caught in the web and disappear with the morning light. And so they hung this Dreamcatcher over the baby's cradle board. Dreamcatchers are believed to bestow pleasant dreams, good luck, and lifetime harmony.

Is it possible that the Indians made the first mobile for the baby’s cradle? I believe it!

Another legend is told of a Shaman who had been very ill and plagued with bad dreams and visions slept with a Medicine Wheel hanging above him, in an attempt to make himself well. During the night a spider found its way down to the wheel and began to spin a web. In a very short time the web covered the wheel except for a small hole in the center. As if it was intended, an Owl flying above in the dark of night shed a feather which floated down, and as if guided caught in the web, hanging as if intended from the center hole. As the sun came up in the morning the Shaman woke not having had any bad dreams and the illness gone. He looked around at the Medicine Wheel feeling that this had made him well and was amazed to see the web and feather hanging from the hole. From that day, the Dreamcatcher was born and was hung above not only babies but also adults as they slept.

However the dreamcatcher came to be is still a mystery, and never the less a beautiful and thoughtful creation.

Deb Jackson

CLICK HERE TO FIND MANY HERBAL PRODUCTS!