Dreamcatcher: Ojibwe origin, history and cultural respect

An object born among the Ojibwe

The dreamcatcher (attrape-rêves in French) comes from the Ojibwe, an Algonquian-speaking people also known as the Anishinaabe, who live around the Great Lakes in Canada and the United States. In their language it is called asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word meaning “spider”; you will also come across bawaajige nagwaagan, translated as “dream snare”. Originally, it was a protective object for infants: a willow hoop woven with a net, hung above the cradle. This page is part of the dreamcatcher guide.

The legend of Spider Woman

An Ojibwe story features Asibikaashi, Spider Woman, who watches over and protects the children. The ethnologist Frances Densmore recorded elements of this tradition in 1929. According to the account most often reported, when the Ojibwe scattered across the continent, Spider Woman could no longer watch over all the children, so mothers and grandmothers wove webs to protect them. The net is meant to catch bad dreams; good dreams, depending on the version, pass through the central hole or slide down the feathers.

This story exists in several versions, which vary between communities and storytellers. We report it as it is recorded in ethnological works, without presuming to tell it in place of those to whom it belongs. Among the Lakota, one variant reverses the meaning: the web catches the good dreams.

How the object spread

The 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of the pan-Indian movement, which brought together Indigenous communities of North America around a shared identity. The dreamcatcher was then adopted by many peoples as a symbol of unity. The mainstream press took an interest in it in the 1970s (for example, an American magazine in 1977), and in the 1980s it was sold as a “Native American” craft object. In the early 1990s, it was one of the most popular and most commercialised craft objects.

Today they are found everywhere, in every size, often mass-produced far from their place of origin. Some “New Age” sellers offer versions that are very far from traditional forms, made from non-traditional materials.

One symbol, several readings

These readings are the ones most often found in books and on websites; they vary from one community to another, and several details (beads, stones, arrowheads) are recent additions. Avoid colour charts or meanings presented as “traditional”: they are frequently invented for sale.

Cultural appropriation: what are we talking about?

Several Indigenous voices, or voices close to Indigenous institutions, have expressed unease about the commercial and decorative use of the dreamcatcher. In 2013, Cathy Burton, then education director of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, refused to allow a dreamcatcher-making workshop as part of a project about Martin Luther King; she wrote that the object had been “diverted” from the Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes region, and that hanging written dreams on it does not match its original protective role.

The debate is not fully settled. Some see appropriation, others a cultural exchange whose limits are open to discussion; it is worth noting that Ojibwe people themselves sell dreamcatchers. What the various positions share is respect, honest information and support for Indigenous creators.

Appreciating it with respect

• Learn: know where the object comes from, its original name and the meaning given to it by those who created it.
• Do not invent meanings: do not attribute to the object powers or rules that the tradition does not give it.
• Buy from Indigenous artisans if the origin matters to you: the simplest step is to ask the seller where the piece comes from.
• Avoid using it as a mere “decoration”: the object is not a neutral fashion accessory; some regard it as having a sacred character.
• Speak about it simply: say “dreamcatcher inspired by Ojibwe tradition” rather than “Native American” in general.

For making one yourself, see making your own dreamcatcher, keeping these points in mind.

No scientific evidence

The dreamcatcher is a symbolic and cultural object. No study shows that it changes dreams or sleep. Many people appreciate it as a decorative object, a reminder of nature or a gift for a child. That value is real, but it has nothing medical about it.

To go further: the meaning of the dreamcatcher, materials, feathers, beads and colours, and where to hang it and how to care for it. Our dreamcatchers are 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.