THE DREAM CATCHER

Many American Indian traditions include the dream catcher.  Legends say the dream catcher was a gift to man from the willow tree and the spider.  The web catches all dreams drifting in the night air.  The good dreams float down the sacred feather to the sleeping person, but the bad dreams become hopelessly tangled in the web until the morning light dissolves them. Originally, the dream catcher was presented to a child at birth, to be kept throughout life.  The power of the dream catcher was enhanced with fetishes and personal belongings.