We go out and collect the vines. Remove the leaves and weave the body which forms the circle. Then we hang them to dry for about six months. After they are dried we weave the web work with sinew and decorate each one by how they form. Natural vine dream catchers each form they one-of-a-kind final look as the webbing is wound and crafted. No two are ever alike!
ORAL TRADITION: Dreamcatchers Story
"One day, a spider was quietly spinning his web in his own space. It was beside the sleeping space of Nokomis, the great known grandmother.
Every day, Nokomis watched the spider at work, quietly spinning away. One day as she was watching him, her grandson came in. "Nokomis-iya!" he shouted, glancing at the spider. He stomped over to the spider, picked up a stick and went to hit it.
"No-keegwa," the old lady whispered, "don't hurt him." "Nokomis, why do you protect the spider?" asked the little boy.
The old woman smiled, but did not respond right away. When the boy left, the spider went to the old woman and thanked her for saving his life.
He said to her, "For many days you have watched me spin and weave my web. You have admired my work. In return for saving my life, I will give you a gift." He smiled his special spider smile and moved away, spinning as he went.
Soon the moon glistened on a magical silvery web moving gently in the window. "See how I spin?" he said. "See and learn, for each web will snare bad dreams. Only good dreams will go through the small hole. This is my gift to you. Use it so that only good dreams will be remembered. The bad dreams will become hopelessly entangled in the web."
One of the old Ojibwa traditions was to hang a dream catcher in their homes. They believe that the night air is filled with dreams.
Dream Catchers were originally made from Weeping Willow, Honey Suckle and Grape Vines.
Today many are made from metal rings wrapped with leather and decorated: While pretty, they are not traditional!
I CRAFT ORIGINAL HONEY SUCKLE VINE
Crafted by: "WA-O-CHA-NI-STANDING" ........aka...Annlee
Bookmark our main web site: ANNLEE CAKES
Some of my crafted items are displayed in this very old oak showcase, and are at our Arkansas City location.
Annlee Cakes
408 East 5th Avenue
Arkansas City, Kansas 67005
