The Legend of the Dreamcatcher

A Chippewa Legend

A spider was quietly spinning his web in his own space. It was beside the sleeping space of Nokomis, the grandmother. Each 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 shoe 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 lady smiled, but did not answer. 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.”

Sleep well sweet child

Don’t worry your head

Your Dream Catcher is humming

Above your bed

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

Dream Catchers

An ancient Chippewa tradition

The dream net has been made

For many generations

Where spirit dreams have played.

Hung above the cradle board,

Or in the lodge up high,

The dream net catches bad dreams,

While good dreams slip on by.

Bad dreams become entangled

Among the sinew thread.

Good dreams slip through the center hole,

While you dream upon your bed.

This is an ancient legend,

Since dreams will never cease,

Hang this dream net above your bed,

Dream on, and be at peace.