Wrapping the frame in leather is another common finishing touch among "real" dream catchers. Today the dreamcatcher is associated with Native American culture in general, but dream catchers are often believed to have originated from the Ojibwa Chippewa tribe in particular.

The Lakota tribe also has its own legend about the origins of the dreamcatcher , but most ethnographers believe the dreamcatchers were passed down from the Ojibwe through intermarriage and trade.

The Ojibwe word for dreamcatcher asabikeshiinh actually means "spider," referring to the woven web loosely covering the hoop.

The patterns of the dream catcher web are similar to the webbing these Native Americans also used for making snowshoes.

Ancient legends about the history and origin of the dreamcatcher exist among several Native American tribes, but are most common and seem to originate among the Ojibwe and Lakota nations.

While many cultures consider spiders to be creepy crawlers, the Ojibwe people saw them in a different light, as symbols of protection and comfort.

According to an old Ojibwa legend, a mystical and maternal "Spider Woman" once served as the spiritual protector for her tribe, especially in concern to young children, kids and babies.

As the Ojibwe people flourished and spread out across the land, it was difficult for The Spider Woman to continue to protect and watch over all the members of the tribe as they migrated farther and farther away.

This is why she created the first dreamcatcher. Following her example, over the course of generations mothers and grandmothers continued to ritualistically recreate the maternal keepsake as a means of mystically protecting their children and families even from a distance.

Kpop Herald. January 23, March 30, SBS PopAsia. April 6, July 28, August 1, SBS Popasia. December 11, January 12, March 11, May 10, October 5, May 18, Retrieved July 15, September 6, Retrieved October 5, In the course of becoming popular outside the Ojibwe Nation, and then outside the pan-Indian communities, various types of "dreamcatchers", many of which bear little resemblance to traditional styles, and that incorporate materials that would not be traditionally used, are now made, exhibited, and sold by New age groups and individuals.

Many Native Americans have come to see these "dreamcatchers" as over-commercialized, offensively misappropriated and misused by non-Natives. A mounted and framed dreamcatcher is being used as a shared symbol of hope and healing by the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota.

In recognition of the shared trauma and loss experienced, both at their school during the Red Lake shootings , and by other students who have survived similar school shootings , they have traveled to other schools to meet with students, share songs and stories, and gift them with the dreamcatcher.

This article is about the Native American object. Browse dream ticket. Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes.

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