Catching Dreams - Part I

Listen so softly
I know you can hear
The tone of beyond
Close to your ear

Love is alive
And living in you
Beyond all your troubles
Where good dreams are true

~ by Toni
(used by permission)

The above poem was copied from Soul Tones, one of the most beautiful sites I have visited. Mystical music accompanies you as you traverse the magical site where you will find music, poetry, legends...and dream catchers. One of my favorites is the "Cosmic Dreamcatcher," an original artwork by Absinth.

The origination of the dream catcher is complex and arguable. At least three of the 500-600 Nations--the Chippewa or Ojibwe, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota (often referred to as Sioux) and the Navajo--include dream catcher legends in their histories. Each Nation's background is rich and precious; therefore, I want to attempt to do justice to each story.

The Navajo legend is a perfect accompaniment to the poem above. Indians believed the night air was filled with good and bad dreams, and the dream catcher was used to catch dreams as they floated by. Good dreams would find the center hole in the dream catcher, slip through, then slide down the feather. Bad dreams would get tangled in the webbing and fade as a new day began to dawn. Small dream catchers were hung from an infant's cradle board to catch good dreams.

Many believe dream catchers originated with the Sioux Nation. Legend says the dream catcher was hung in the tepee above the sleeper's bed and allowed good dreams to pass through and slide down the feathers onto the sleeper. Bad dreams became tangled in the webbing and melted in the morning sun. Indian Dream Catchers has many examples of Sioux dream catchers, some of the most unusual being the Indian Face Dream Catchers.

For an extensive history about the Sioux Nation, see Lahkota. The text, written by Sebastian (Bronco) LeBeau, is thorough and fascinating.

The Lakota

The Sioux Nation of the Lakota consists of seven bands of the Teton Lakota. Four bands originally settled on the Cheyenne River in South Dakota, making the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe the Heart of the Nation. The Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation presents a heritage rich in history and tradition.

The "Horse Culture" of the Lakota resulted in a certain "air" of mysticism capturing the imaginations of non-Indian people across the world. The nomadic culture came to be regarded as stereotypical of all Indian people. And much too often, we who are non-Native American people, have considered the Plains Indian as the true representation of all "real Indians."