Its been a rough year, glad its all over and we can move on!
Amidst the joyous mood in the air, all the festive celebrations, “Auld Lang Syne”s, whishes & hopes, almost seems like a routine and nagging affair to me. 12 moons ago, despite the ignorance on what lies ahead of us, everyone seems to be in high hopes. There and then, like everyone else, I hoped for the best, deja vu…
Ironically, after a recollection of the past 12 woeful months at this very last moment of the year, I could not tell if those “happening” 365 days were the best. If they were, I cannot picture too many things that could be worse! I guess regular persons live regular lives and hope for regular things.
Thus, while the wise who foresaw the future remains dead and buried, I hope not for the best but the extraordinary!
Cheers!!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Native American Dreamcatcher
Dreamcatchers - an authentic American Indian tradition. The original Native Indian dream catcher stemmed from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) tribe. They would weave deer sinew or nettle stalk around a tiny round or tear-shaped wooden frame and decorate it with beads--and hang this "dream-catcher" as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The legend is that the bad dreams will get caught in the web.
Traditionally Native American dreamcatchers are small (only a few inches across) and made of bent wood and sinew string with a feather hanging from the netting, but wrapping the frame in leather is also pretty common.
Its origins notwithstanding, the Native American dream catcher is an expression of man’s obsession, fascination, fear and wonder with the world of dreams. And the belief in the power of dreams, bad dreams especially, to spell doom in a person’s life is ubiquitous in all cultures. The tradition of dream catchers in Native America rests on this sense of foreboding.
According to the Ojibwe legend, the Spider Woman or Asibikaasi who brought back the sun to her people, asked the women of the tribe to make a dream catcher out of willow hoops to protect their children from nightmares. The netting was fixed to the hoop in eight places in order to signify the eight legs of Asibikaasi or seven to denote the Seven Prophecies.
The dream catcher is hung mostly over sleeping children as a charm to protect the young ones from nightmares. In fact, it is believed that the ancient dream catcher, called the “Sacred Hoop” was fashioned by a concerned parent. However, the Lakota myth is that the netting in the dream catcher will entrap your good ideas while letting the bad ones pass through the net. Though its origins cannot be vouched for, the dream catcher has some captivating pieces of myths surrounding it.
The dream catcher meant for a child can also have a feather strung to its center, just as an added means to guide the good dreams on their way. It is also believed that the feather symbolizes air, which is so essential for life. And with the notion of gender roles quite common amongst the Native American tribesmen, it is a regular practice to have an owl’s feather, signifying wisdom, in a baby girl’s dream catcher and an eagle’s feather, denoting courage, in a baby boy’s one. The feather is not attached to the dream catcher of an adult.
Dream Catchers today are not only hung on the child's cradleboard or nursery, but also in places like the living room or your rearview mirror. Many think dream-catchers are a sweet and loving little tradition, others consider them a symbol of native unity, During the pan-Indian movement in the 60's and 70's, Ojibway dreamcatchers started to get popular in other Native American tribes, even those in disparate places like the Cherokee, Lakota, and Navajo.
The Native American dream catcher is an abiding belief amongst the Native Indian tribes and has now spread to other cultures of the world.
Fascinating Native American art!
Traditionally Native American dreamcatchers are small (only a few inches across) and made of bent wood and sinew string with a feather hanging from the netting, but wrapping the frame in leather is also pretty common.
Its origins notwithstanding, the Native American dream catcher is an expression of man’s obsession, fascination, fear and wonder with the world of dreams. And the belief in the power of dreams, bad dreams especially, to spell doom in a person’s life is ubiquitous in all cultures. The tradition of dream catchers in Native America rests on this sense of foreboding.
According to the Ojibwe legend, the Spider Woman or Asibikaasi who brought back the sun to her people, asked the women of the tribe to make a dream catcher out of willow hoops to protect their children from nightmares. The netting was fixed to the hoop in eight places in order to signify the eight legs of Asibikaasi or seven to denote the Seven Prophecies.
The dream catcher is hung mostly over sleeping children as a charm to protect the young ones from nightmares. In fact, it is believed that the ancient dream catcher, called the “Sacred Hoop” was fashioned by a concerned parent. However, the Lakota myth is that the netting in the dream catcher will entrap your good ideas while letting the bad ones pass through the net. Though its origins cannot be vouched for, the dream catcher has some captivating pieces of myths surrounding it.
The dream catcher meant for a child can also have a feather strung to its center, just as an added means to guide the good dreams on their way. It is also believed that the feather symbolizes air, which is so essential for life. And with the notion of gender roles quite common amongst the Native American tribesmen, it is a regular practice to have an owl’s feather, signifying wisdom, in a baby girl’s dream catcher and an eagle’s feather, denoting courage, in a baby boy’s one. The feather is not attached to the dream catcher of an adult.
Dream Catchers today are not only hung on the child's cradleboard or nursery, but also in places like the living room or your rearview mirror. Many think dream-catchers are a sweet and loving little tradition, others consider them a symbol of native unity, During the pan-Indian movement in the 60's and 70's, Ojibway dreamcatchers started to get popular in other Native American tribes, even those in disparate places like the Cherokee, Lakota, and Navajo.
The Native American dream catcher is an abiding belief amongst the Native Indian tribes and has now spread to other cultures of the world.
Fascinating Native American art!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
