The Dream Catcher represents several meanings. All of the decorations and materials used to decorate them, all have a special meaning. A single bead in the middle may represent the spider that is on the web. Scattered beads throughout the web may represent good dreams that may have been caught throughout the night. A feather represents a symbol of breath or air which is attached so it hangs from the center of the ring. It is essential for life. A baby watching the air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while also being given a lesson on the importance of good air.This lesson comes forward in the way that the feather of the Owl is kept for wisdom (a woman's feather); & the Eagle feather is kept for courage (a man's feather). This is not to say that the use of each is restricted by gender; but that to use the feather each is aware of the gender properties she/he is invoking. (Indian people, in general, are very specific about gender roles and identity.)
The use of gem stones, in some of the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done by the old ones. Government laws forbid the sale of feathers from our sacred birds. These include ALL Birds of Prey and include Hawk feathers, Bald Eagle feathers, Owl feather, Turkey Vulture feathers, and so on. Incorporating four gem stones into the Dream Catcher, is used to represent the four directions. Nature represents the spiritual inspiration in each.
When researching the long traditions of oral histories, storytelling has been passed down through the generations; from parent to child, grandparent to grandchild, or from one person to another. This is how the message continues to be passed on to future generations.
Throughout all of history, almost every culture and person has placed important significance on the true meaning of their dreams. Today, our dreams are just as powerful a force in many peoples' lives, as they were back with all of our Ancestors. Mainly, because of the meanings that are discovered in them. Regardless if your dreams are good or bad, they can confuse, inspire, or upset the dreamer.
Within the Ojibwe Tribe, dreams, or visions in the night, were so vital that children were not given a name until a “namer” (an individual designated to name the child) after the individual had a dream about what name should be given to the child. This “namer” may have also given the child a charm that was woven in the design to resemble the web of a spider so as to protect the infant’s dreams. This, along with the remaining child’s toys, such as bells, shells and pouches made of leather, this “dream catcher” was hung on the child’s cradleboard by the hoop. (Source: wolfsdenscreations)