Art Deco Dreamcatchers?
You will discover much creative license in the designs of my Dreamcatchers. The decorative elements, materials, color schemes and other components I am drawn to work with aren't typically found associated with Native American-inspired crafts and that is my intention. My creative goal is to bear an interpretive pice of work that honors the essence of a traditional Native American Dream Catcher while incorporating contemporary designs and elements to accomodate a virtually unlimited range of decorating styles and tastes, thus the "Art Deco."
If you don't find what you're looking for among the dreamcatchers offered here, contact me for information on personalized dreamcatchers. Custom work is always welcomed!
About Dreamcatchers
Early dreamcatchers (dream catchers) were made from willow branches or vines fashioned into hoops and weaved into the likeness of a spider's web with sinew or plant fibers.
The exact origins of the dreamcatcher are unclear but the general consensus is that the Ojibwe' Indians used them as ornaments on the cradle boards of babies to soothe and capture the attention of little ones during long journeys.
Deamcatchers have noted associations with a variety of North American tribes including; the Crow, Cochiti, Cree, Laguna and Zuni peoples as well as the Huichol Indians of Mexico. Similar webbed creations have also been found depicted in ancient murals throughout Central America.
Dreamcatcher Legends
Some Native American legends say that when a dreamcatcher is hung above a place of sleep the web ensnares and holds bad dreams to be burned away by the rays of the first light of day. Good dreams are allowed to flow through the holes and down along the feathers to gently fall upon the dreamer below.
Legend details vary from tribe to tribe. Some speak of personalized dreamcatchers decorated with fetishes, feathers, bones, stones or the like, while others describe simple, unadorned creations. Some tell of masculine and feminine versions, others have them gifted at the advent of varying life passages. The common thread among most of the Dream Catcher stories I've found is that they originated as gifts of sacred knowledge as a means of protecting the sleeping ones from malevolent influences and dreams while attracting wisdom and guidance.
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"Many of mankind's greatest achievements are the fruit of seed sown in the mind of a dreamer."
Dream on!
