Dreamcatcher: materials, feathers, beads and colours explained

What a dreamcatcher is made of

A dreamcatcher consists of a hoop, a web woven in a spiral, threads or straps that hang down, and often feathers and beads. Traditional forms used natural, local materials. Modern versions, which are more varied, mix natural and synthetic materials. This page, which is part of the dreamcatcher guide, describes each element and its variants.

The hoop

Traditionally, the hoop is a willow branch, bent into a circle while wet. Today’s makers also use bamboo, rattan, metal and plastic. Willow gives a light, natural hoop that is sensitive to humidity; metal is stiffer and more durable, but less faithful to the original spirit. Sizes range from 5 cm for a small model to more than 50 cm for a wall piece.

The web and the straps

The web was originally woven from plant fibres (such as nettle) or animal sinew. Today, cotton thread, waxed thread, synthetic cord or linen thread is used. The straps that wrap the hoop are made of suede, leather or a suede-effect fabric (“suedette”). Natural thread ages better; synthetic thread resists humidity and friction better. When the thread is leather or suede, the smell and texture can differ from one piece to another.

Feathers: materials and regulations

Feathers are often understood as a “ladder” that guides good dreams down to the sleeper. Today they are often poultry feathers (hen, rooster, goose, turkey) or farmed feathers (pheasant), sometimes dyed. The legality of feathers is a real question:

• In France, the Environment Code prohibits, for protected species, the transport, use, possession, sale and purchase of live or dead animals; the order of 29 October 2009 on protected birds also covers any part or product of a bird, which in principle includes feathers. It is therefore inadvisable to collect or sell feathers from protected wild birds (birds of prey, swallows, etc.). The list is long, and it is hard to identify a species from a single feather.
• At international level, the CITES convention governs the trade in many species, including their feathers.
• In the United States, the law prohibits possessing feathers of native migratory birds without a permit; eagle feathers are reserved for Indigenous people registered with a recognised tribe.

We have not been able to verify the detail of every rule by species: when in doubt, ask the seller where a feather comes from, and prefer farmed poultry feathers or alternatives (felt, fabric, wood). In the tradition of several Indigenous nations, eagle feathers have a sacred value and a strict legal framework: do not seek to acquire them.

Beads, stones and other decorations

Beads, stones and arrowheads are more recent additions to dreamcatchers. You find glass, wooden or shell beads, or stones such as amethyst, rose quartz, tiger’s eye or turquoise. Stones can replace feathers when these are forbidden. In several accounts, a single bead represents the spider and several beads the bad dreams caught; this is one reading among others. Stones, by contrast, have no established traditional role: their choice is decorative or personal (see choosing and caring for your stones).

Beware of small parts: beads, stones and bells can come loose and be swallowed by a young child.

Colours: what should we believe?

There is no official colour code for the dreamcatcher. The “colour charts” found online (red for energy, blue for serenity, and so on) are modern interpretations, often drawn from the general symbolism of colours rather than from Ojibwe tradition. They can guide a decorative choice, but should not be presented as cultural truths.

For the symbolism of candle colours, for example, we always make clear that it is one tradition among others: see the guide to candle colours.

How to choose

• Look at the materials: solid thread, neat knots, a regular hoop.
• Ask where the feathers and stones come from.
• Think about use: wall-mounted, in a window, or for a child’s room (then without small parts and out of reach).
• Do not trust promises: no dreamcatcher has a proven effect on sleep.

Find our models in the dreamcatchers section.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to dreamcatchers.