The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota
Dream Catchers are a small hoop made from a willow twig, bent slowly so as not to break it. Thread or sinew used for sewing is crisscrossed within the circle to resemble a spider’s web. A buckskin cord or heavy thread is tied to the top of the hoop, so it can be suspended.
Traditionally these Dream Catchers were hung on a baby cradle in front of the baby’s face. Spiritually the web was used to trap any bad dreams that would bother the child. The web swung back and forth, serving as an object for the child to look at and amuse itself, as the hoop moved with the wind or the baby’s movement.
When one searches the internet for the origin of a Dream Catcher, the origin is attributed to the Ojibwe. The reason behind this attribution is old ethnological studies, were on Ojibwe Reservations. No one that I am aware of wrote about Dakota Dream Catchers. The Dream Catcher was used by many tribes east of the Mississippi River. The Dakota, Ho chunk, Potawatomi, among others. For a visual, please consult oversize Indian art books. Many of these books show photographs of Dakota Cradles. Naturally all these examples are housed in museums and usually don’t have a Dream Catcher attached. Blame the curator.
The Pan-Indian movement began during the 1950’s when the United States Government decided to offer Indigenous unemployed families an opportunity to go to a big city where jobs were abundant. This brought many Indigenous families together to trade customs, as they met in Indian Centers in New York, Chicago, Los Angles, and other metropolitan cities. In the 1960’s to the 1970’s the pow-wow was adopted by all the tribes along with associated crafts. The Indigenous people were selling Dream Catchers at craft fairs. Dream Catchers were appropriated by many crafters no matter what their ethnic affiliation. As the 1980’s rolled around New-Age groups saw Dream Catchers as an item to commercialize. It is so simple to make everyone produced them. Indigenous complaints forced the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to have the U.S. Government rule that any craftwork sold in the marketplace must be labeled “Indian Made.” Today one is surprised to find large well-known companies offering Dream Catchers in kits and complete large wall hangings, for ten to a hundred dollars each. The Dakota have a saying “Mitakuye Owasin” [we are all related] whether humans are Red, Brown, Black or white, we are all the same.
Dream Catchers are now in the public domain.
Bibliography
Densmore, Francis Chippewa Customs. Minnesota Historical Press, 1979. Originally published by the United States Pring Office in 1929. See page 113.
Hilger, M. Inez Chippewa Child Life and its Cultural Background. Minnesota Historical Society Press. St. Paul 1992. Originally published in 1951. {Sister Inez’s papers are deposited at the Priory archives located at Mary College, Bismarck, North Dakota].
Jaker, Alexander; Akis’a RedSoldier Sisseton Wahpeton Lexicon. Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Kalen Canwiyuhuga Publishing, 2025. Page 224.
Wikipedia Search for Dream Catchers.
