Many years ago various tribes of the American Indian were able to identify with visions, and other spiritual feelings through the use of their medicine men and seers. Some of these 'spiritual' men used special ways to discover answers which their chiefs and warriors sought after concerning health, hunting for game, where to lodge, about the future, and answers to their dreams. Certain specific things became known to give answers and give protection.

A few of these were the eagle, bear, wolf, snake, buffalo, hawk, grouse, sun, moon, stars, peace pipe, medicine rattle, dreams, dream catchers, songs, prayers, arrows, belts, scalps, feathers and skins. Dances which were either sacred, told a story, or delivered a message were also used. Every animal, tree, insect, bush, and herb was respected and used for a certain purpose. Nothing was wasted and everything had value. Every Indian nation had its own legends, ways, and order. Every tribe interpreted their dances, spoke their legends and realized their visions differently and yet, they were all very similar in many ways.

                   

Today the same is still true. For example, there are many variations of the dream catcher legend but one seems to be more realistic. A Siksika or Blackfoot Medicine Man, and Band Counselor, who I met in 1975, explained that the original dream catcher was made by a Blackfoot ancestor of his who traveled from where Texas is now up though the great plains and into the Dakotas. From there this warrior made his way to the Montana Territory and north into the Canadas. From my friend's memory his ancestor, Yááapi Ki'sóómm, who was, "Seven generations before my father, possibly White Calf's great great grandfather.", he said, told of the dream he had about the dream catcher. He told the dream in all the lodges and around every campfire of every nation with which he visited as he made his way north.

   

My Medicine friend told me the legend this way.
Many, many moons ago when the trees were young, the plains were more vast and the sky a greater blue, a spider named Anansi was sent by iits-tsi-pah-ta-pii-op, the great spirit, to befriend Yááapi Ki'sóómm or 'Sun in Eyes', who was a great and noble tribal warrior, and give him a special message. Sun in Eyes had prayed to the great spirit asking for help. Anansi, as any good friend would do, spun a beautiful and wonderful web in the circle of the opening of the lodge of Sun in Eyes which in the morning eastern sunlight was plainly visible. Anansi was instructed to speak to Sun in Eyes if he would but stop and contemplate the meaning of the gift from his new friend that now hung in his doorway. Sun in Eyes did see the web but didn't bother to marvel at its beauty believing it to be nothing but a web of a mischievous spider.

 For six mornings Sun in Eyes saw the web at his doorway and angrily brushed it away vowing to look for the crazy spider when he came back from his hunting trail, but always forgot once he'd returned. On the seventh morning in desperation to talk to the warrior, Anansi left his web and dangled in a shadow close to the door. When Sun in Eyes got close Anansi landed on his right wrist and before he realized it Anansi bit him. He swung his wrist to fling the spider and in so doing Anansi landed rght in the middle of his web. Sun in Eyes was suddenly very sleepy. He began to dream. He saw the web and heard Anansi talking to him. Anansi explained that he was his friend and was sent to deliver a gift. Sun in eyes felt bad for how he had treated Anansi and realized he was a new friend sent to help him. Anansi accepted the apology and began to tell of a special gift, which was how to create a web or a 'dream catcher' to hang above the doorway of his lodge or above his bed. This web would catch dreams as he slept. He was also sent to explain that the thoughts in their dreams were sometimes good and sometimes bad. The web, would catch only the good dreams and keep them until morning and, as a gift to its user, it would allow the bad ones to slip through and disappear.

Each warrior could make a dream catcher and when he had made his web to hang in his lodge, he would be able to receive many good dreams from it and be able to understand them. He then taught Sun in Eyes how to make his web. He said to use a ring as from a willow tied to make a circle. Then cover it to make its appearance pleasant and beautiful. Then spin a web within the circle. Use your own design for the dream catcher. If it is for a gift make it the best you can. And then use it often. There were two conditons, one or the other which had to be met in the creation of the dream catchers to be able to receive good dreams. One was that a warrior could not hope to receive and keep his good dreams if someone close to him did not make the dream catcher and give it to him as a gift or second he must make the dream catcher himself.

Anansi explained that true gifts are made and created with the heart. He stayed with Sun in Eyes and when Sun in Eyes completed his dream catcher Anansi instructed Sun in Eyes to make a dream catcher for a close friend in his village. For many years Sun in Eyes had many good dreams and used his good dreams wisely and often. Many who learned of the dream catchers began making them as personal gifts for their friends.

This was the gift of Anansi to Sun in Eyes. For as Anansi spun a web as
a gift for Sun in Eyes, it should also be likewise with dream catchers.
And only then the dreams can become real.

This is the legend of the first dream catcher.

 

 

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