Aboriginal Dream Catcher
In some Native American and First Nations cultures, a dreamcatcher or dream catcher ( Ojibwe: asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for 'spider') is a handmade willow hoop, on which is woven a net or web. The dreamcatcher may also include sacred items such as certain feathers or beads.
- A dream catcher is usually placed over a place you would sleep where the morning light can hit it. As you sleep all dreams from the spirit world have to pass through the dream catcher. Only good dreams can pass through to the dreamer while the bad dreams are caught in the webbing and are destroyed by the first rays of the morning light.
- (The 'Jolly Jumper,' cradle boards, moccasins, rattles, snowshoes, toboggans, dream catchers and more.) On June 21, have the children create a large poster, drawing their favourite First Nations invention on a 'Reasons to Celebrate National Aboriginal Day' poster.
- Jan 30, 2019 The dreamcatcher is a protective talisman that is used to protect people from nightmares and bad dreams. The charm was usually used for young children and hung above their cradles or beds. Native American cultures believe that both good and bad dreams fill the air at night.
- You are ready to place your dream catcher in the chose spot to hang over and protect your home, family, or thoughts. You may choose to celebrate your dream catcher in this way or through other ways by your own choosing. There is an ancient ritual of the dream catcher called, Smudging. This is a powerful way to initiate and bless your dream catcher.
Among the Indians of the woodlands, the Ojibwa believe that dreams have magical qualities - and possess the ability to change or direct one's path in life.
According to tradition, the night air is filled with both good and bad dreams. From this belief came the idea of the dream catcher, which captures dreams as they float by. Good dreams, knowing the way, slip through the dream catcher's centre hole, drifting gently off the soft feathers to the sleeper below. The bad dreams, which do not know the way, become entangled in the webbing to perish with the first light of the new day. Dream catchers were hung on an infant's cradle board to protect the child, or in lodges for the benefit of all.
The idea that dream catchers accept the good and ward off the bad in the lives of youth has shaped the Dreamcatcher Indigenous Youth Conference. The message for this conference is one of self-empowerment – Dream, Learn, Achieve.
Registration details
Hosted by the Faculty of Health and Community Studies, this youth conference welcomes participants from communities across Canada.
Aboriginal Dream Catcher Game
| Date | October 18, 2019 – October 19, 2019 |
| Start Time | 10:00 a.m. |
| End Time | 4:30 p.m. |
| Location | Room 9-407 Robbins Health Learning Centre 10910 – 104 Avenue Edmonton, AB |
| Event Type | Conference/Seminar |
| Contact Phone | 780-497-4699 |
| Contact Email | FHCSconferences@macewan.ca |