In the Ojibwe or Chippewa culture a dreamcatcher ( Ojibwe language: asabikeshiinh )is the inanimate form of the word for 'spider' or in their language bawaajige nagwaagan meaning 'dream snare' a handmade item based off a willow hoop which is woven into a loose net or web while decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads.Īlthough the dreamcatcher tradition originated in the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Nation, during the pan-Indian movement of the 1960s and 1970s, they were adopted by Native Americans of a number of different Nations.
Dreamcatchers made of willow and sinew are not meant to last forever, but instead are intended to dry out and disintegrate over time as the child enters the age of adulthood.
