NATIVE AMERICANS AND DREAM CATCHERS

By: Tabitha Jeffers

NATIVE AMERICANS

Native

Americans

invented the

Dream Catcher

when old Lakota,

the spiritual

leader was on a

high mountain

and had a vision

about them.

ABOUT THE FORCES OF DREAMS

He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin

our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to

adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken

care of as infants, completing the cycle. But, Iktomi said as he

continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many

forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good

forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you

listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction

and may hurt you.

DREAMS

Native Americans believe that

dreams are floating in air.

The Bad dreams would get

caught in the web and expire

when the sun rose while the good

dreams would go through the

center and then flow down

through the feathers to the

sleeping individual to come to

them.

TRADITIONAL DREAM CATCHERS

Traditionally Dream catchers

are made out of a willow branch

or some grapevine, they are

bent into a circle then the

designed is weaved in and lastly

it is decorated.

Using a hoop of willow, and

decorating it with findings, bits

and pieces of everyday life,

(feathers, arrow heads, beads,

etc).

Lakota

SUMMARY

Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams

both good and bad. The dream catcher when hung over or near

your bed swinging freely in the air, catches the dreams as they

flow by. The good dreams know how to pass through the dream

catcher, slipping through the outer holes and slide down the soft

feathers so gently that many times the sleeper does not know that

he/she is dreaming. The bad dreams not knowing the way get

tangled in the dream catcher and perish with the first light of the

new day.

RESOURCES

http://www.dream-catchers.org

Google Images

http://www.wou.edu/~abrown10/my%20portfolio/

dreamcatchers.html

http://www.dream-catchers.org/make-dream-catche

rs-

kids.php