A dreamcatcher was a mesh that was artfully constructed by the Native American Culture. This mesh was believed to shoo away bad dreams and let you keep only the good ones. This mesh has been adapted into various tattoo designs that are believed to perform the same function. Read on to find out the mythology of these amazing tattoos.
As indicated, the dreamcatcher was started in the Native American Culture. The Anishinabe people created the device and indicated its purpose. These people lived at the border between the North Central U.S.A. and Canada. Anishinabe means “original people”. In America, they were also known as the Chippewa people while in Canada, they were also known as the Ojibwe people.
The dreamcatcher evolved from an object to a tattoo. The Native Americans held tattooing as an important part of their culture. It was viewed as a rite and a cultural activity. The dreamcatcher tattoo design is one of the most popular designs that the Native Americans and other people choose for their tattoos. It can be monochromatic or feature many attractive colors on it. Made up of a circle with beautiful patterns in it, the dreamcatcher is an iconic Native American tattoo. It also has a feather or a number of them on the circle.
The dreamcatcher was originally woven together by the women in the tribe. They decorated it with beads, gemstones, leather and shells. After weaving it, they would hang it above the baby’s bed, door or in the room. It was seen as a protective amulet and has evolved into a protective tattoo as well.
Today, people place the dreamcatcher tattoo in various places on their bodies. Some of the popular parts to place these tattoos are the upper arm, upper back and the shoulders. Ladies prefer having them as small decorative tattoos on their upper shoulders or necks. Their size and placement makes these tattoos elegant on them.
Some legends about Dreamcatcher tattoo
One of the legends connected to the Dreamcatcher tattoo is that of the Spider Woman. She was a magical woman who travelled across the lands of the Anishinabe people. Her purpose was to visit the cradles of the newborn babies and make webs with her magical powers. She would place these webs above the cradles to protect the little children from bad dreams and only allow nice ones to enter.
As the Anishinabe tribe grew and expanded, the people began migrating in search of more land. As a result, the lady was unable to reach all the newborn babies in time. To help her perform her work, the women in the tribe began making these webs just like the Spider Woman would. They made these web dreamcatchers to ensure their babies only had nice dreams and no bad ones. If the dreamcatcher would wear out, the women would make new ones to ensure their children had peaceful dreams at night.
Another legend is that of Nokomis the grandmother and the spider. A spider was spinning its web in a space right next to that where the grandmother slept. She would peer over and watch the spider spin its wed. every day she stared at it in amazement as it made steps to complete its web.
One day as she stared at the spider, her grandson entered the room. After seeing the spider, he shouted “Nokomis-iya” and rushed with a shoe to kill the spider. The grandmother stopped him saying “No-keegwa, don” hurt the spider.” The boy wondered, “Nokomis, why are you protecting the spider?” The grandmother smiled and kept silent.
After her grandson left, the spider decided to thank the old lady. It went and spoke to her saying, “Over many days you have watched me spin my web. You admire my work and today you have saved my life. In return, I will give you a gift.” After saying that, the spider smiled and went off spinning its web. It spun a beautiful web across the window and when the moon rose, the web shone silver.
When the spider saw that Nokomis was amazed by this web, the spider told her, “See this web, it will only let good dreams through. Bad dreams will get entangled in it and cannot reach you. This is my gift to you. Use it to get only good dreams and prevent the bad ones from reaching you.”
Why they are so popular in the USA?
These tattoos are so popular among the American people. One of the reasons that they are is the beauty of the tattoo. The circle with a mesh inside that only meets it at eight points is a beauty to behold. Moreover, these special characteristics are fundamental to this tattoo. They have been passed down through centuries of Native American tradition. Thus, when people get this tattoo, they feel like they have a part of a rich culture with them at all times. Thus, the dreamcatcher tattoo is popular for this reason.
It is also popular due to its meaning. The dreamcatcher prevents negative energy and bad dreams from getting into the wearer. As such, the tattoo filters the negative out of all energies entering the person. In the Native American culture, the good dreams drip along the feathers and access the children sleeping under the dreamcatcher. This is an interesting part of the dreamcatcher. Thus, to keep it alive, people get this tattoo and ensure that the feathers are either long and full or colored vividly to ensure that the positive energy and good dreams are flowing to them properly.
The Native American people are a creative culture. The dreamcatcher is one of the expressions of this creativity. As such, people who value creativity such as artists, poets and musicians get tattoos of dreamcatchers. They celebrate the creativity of the Native American people. Moreover, people descended from the Native American community often get this tattoo to celebrate their culture. It gives them a sense of belonging when they are among their own people. Moreover, when they are with other cultures, they are able to retain their identity.
Are you thinking about getting a dreamcatcher tattoo? Then check out the best images of dreamcatcher tattoos.
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