This very special gift I present to you comes from a sacred lineage that we will have the opportunity to experience in person with my sister Tanya, for those of you joining us in Costa Rica, as she will be showing us how to honor and create the sacred art of the Dream Catcher.

An Excerpt from PowWow Blog with commentary by Christina Andrini.

In many Native American tribes, a dream catcher is a handmade willow hoop woven to a web or literally, a net. They can include feathers and beads, crystals and seashells, and they're traditionally suspended on cradles, over doorways, and over headboards, as a form of armor and protection.

Dream catchers are widely viewed as a symbol of oneness among numerous indigenous cultures and tribes. They're also generally looked at as an indication of Native American identity. However, some Native Americans believe dream catchers have been appropriated and offensively exploited by non-Native Americans. This is why it is very important to honor this sacred art and use only the most natural and humblest of materials with pure intentions when creating them.

Dream catchers can be traced back to the Ojibwes. The Ojibwe people started the trend and over time, dream catchers were adopted by other tribes, cultures and even nations. This adoption was made possible through the process of either intermarriage, trade or both. Dream catchers became widely accepted by Native Americans in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of the Pan-Indian movement.

It is believed that dream catchers originated with Asibikaashi, who was known as the Spider Woman. She was a custodian of all of the Ojibwe infants and adults. However, in time it became a difficult task for her to take care of all of the Ojibwe people as they started spreading out across different regions of North America.

To help, the Ojibwe women started weaving magical webs for the infants. They used willow hoops and sinew to weave them, and they gifted them to the Ojibwe children as a medium of protection. These charms hung above the children's beds to catch any bad dreams or other harm that might be present.

Making a dreamcatcher is a beautiful way to honor loved ones and offer them a gift of protection. What you will need is a hoop, suede lace, string, and natural materials to create a sacred dreamcatcher.

Making Your Own Dreamcatcher

Begin the dreamcatcher by wrapping the hoop with suede lace or natural twine. Then create the web by weaving the string along with the frame of the hoop. Finish the dreamcatcher by adorning it with feathers from live animals, crystals, beads, and natural materials collected from the land you reside in.

1. Select a wooden hoop. Pre-made hoops are easy and work great for dreamcatchers. You can, however, make your own hoops from resources you find around you. The size of the hoop is really dependent on how big you want your dreamcatcher to be. If this is your first time making a dreamcatcher, try a 5 to 8 inch (13 to 20 cm) hoop; these hoops are neither too big nor too small for beginners.

You can find hoops at your local crafts or indigenous store in the yarn and crocheting aisle.
Embroidery hoops are another good option for practice.

2. Use suede lace or natural twine to wrap the hoop. Choose leather or buckskin suede lace or natural twine. The width of the lace should be no larger than the width of a shoelace. The length of the lace should be 18 times greater than the diameter of the hoop you are using.

For example, if you are using a 5-inch (13 cm) hoop, then 2.5 yards (2.3 meters) of lace should be enough.
If you do not want to use suede lace, then you can also use ribbons of choice.

3. Choose a string for the web. You want to use a string that is strong, but flexible. Artificial sinew, hemp cord, waxed nylon string, or silk thread all work great. The length of the string should be ten times the diameter of the hoop. Traditionally, the natural-colored string or twine is used, but you can use any color you want.

For example, if you are using a 5-inch (13 cm) hoop, then you will need 50 inches or 2 yards (1.8 meters) of string.

4. Pick your decorative materials. How you create your dreamcatcher is up to you. You can use feathers, strips of fabric, beads, gemstones, and shells to decorate your dreamcatcher. Choose materials that have personal meaning for you or to the person you are making it for.

1. Place a half-inch (1.3 cm) line of glue on the top of the hoop. If you do not use any adhesive, then be sure to hold the string tightly. Holding the end of the suede lace against the hoop, wrap it around the line of glue or wrap it tightly. When you are wrapping the suede lace, make sure there are no spaces between the pieces of lace. Once you have wrapped the section, use a small binder clip to hold the lace in place until the glue dries, about five minutes. (if using glue).

You should not be able to see the frame of the hoop underneath the suede lace.
Use natural adhesives as best you can or regular, craft glue.
If you are using a regular ribbon, then tie a double or triple knot at the starting point instead of using glue to secure the ribbon.

2. Continue wrapping the hoop with suede lace. Continue wrapping the lace around the hoop. At strategic spots, place more glue on the hoop before you wrap the lace around it. This will ensure that the lace stays in place. You should place glue on at least four, evenly spaced spots on the hoop.

Make sure to use the small binder clips to hold the lace in a place where the glue is.
The lace should be tightly wrapped around the hoop and touch the adjacent loop of lace, but they should not overlap.
If you are using a ribbon, use the same strategy to secure the ribbon around the hoop.

3. Finish wrapping the lace. Wrap the lace all the way around the hoop, i.e., back to the starting point. Before you get to the end, place a final line of glue on the hoop. Finish wrapping the lace and secure it with a small binder clip. Otherwise secure by making small knots at each interval.

4. Let the glue finish drying. Place the hoop aside for 15 to 20 minutes to let the glue finish drying. After 15 minutes, take off the clips. Cut off any extra pieces of lace or ribbon

1. Tie the string securely to the top of the circle. Cut 2 yards (1.8 meters) of string. Start by tying a knot at the top of the hoop. Tie a double or triple knot to ensure that the string is secure

2. Loop the string around the hoop. Working clockwise, stretch the string to a spot about 2 inches (5 cm) over on the hoop. Loop the string around the hoop and back over itself to create a hitch. Make sure to pull the string tight to secure it before moving on to the next loop.

Pulling too hard on the string may warp the shape of the dreamcatcher.

3. Continue looping the string around the hoop. Loop the string around the entire frame until you reach the top of the hoop where you started. As you do this, go slowly to make sure the loops are evenly spaced. Once you reach the top, loop the string around the hoop next to the starting knot.

There should be an odd number of loops.

4. Create the second layer of the web. Loop the string around the midpoint of the first line of thread. Using the same technique, loop it around the string and over itself to create a hitch. Continue weaving the thread this way until you reach the top of the hoop

5. Continue the weaving until a small circle forms in the middle. As you weave the web, the circle in the middle will get smaller and smaller. Weave the string until only a small circle is left in the middle of the dreamcatcher. Make sure to pull the string tight to secure the web

6. Secure the web with a knot. Once the circle is small, about the size of a penny or dime, tie a knot around the next string instead of hitching it. Tie a double or triple knot to make sure the string is secure and will not come undone. Then trim off any extra string with scissors

7. Make a hanging loop. Cut a 5-inch (13 cm) piece of suede lace. Tie the loose ends into a knot to make a circle. Secure the lace around the top of the hoop by pushing the knot through the loop. Then pull tight to create the hanging loop.

1. Loop beads into the web. You will need to do this as you make the web. Place a bead on the string before you loop and hitch it to the next string. You can either space them out randomly or create a pattern by placing a bead on every other string.

2. Hang strips of fabric. Purchase different colors or patterns of fabric. Cut the fabric into strips. Fold the strips in half to create a loop. Place the loop underneath the bottom rim of the dreamcatcher. Thread the ends of the fabric through the loop and pull tight to secure it.

You can also do this technique with suede lace, strips of leather, or any other type of string to create a dreamy hanging effect.

3. Thread beads onto the strips. Thread a bead onto your strip of fabric or string. Position the bead to where you want it on the string. Tie a small knot underneath the bead. The knot will hold the bead in place.

4. Hang feathers if you'd like. Group four to five feathers together. Use a small binder clip to hold them together while you tie and knot a string around the tops of the feathers to secure them. Then tie and knot the string along the bottom of the dream catcher.

You can also thread various beads onto the strings as well before you attach them to the dreamcatcher.

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references:

https://www.powwows.com/what-is-a-dream-catcher/

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