Bear Keychain

Dream Catchers are a craft of Native Americans. People hang them above the bed of children in order to keep away nightmares and evil spirits. It_ÌÏ_s a belief that the good dreams will pass through the web and bad dreams caught on it.

Legends held that the spider web design of the dream catcher would allow good dreams to pass through and float down the hanging beads and feathers to one sleeping. Bad dreams, however, would be hopelessly tangled in the web. As the first rays of the morning light hit the dream catcher, the bad dreams would parish.

Nearly every part of a dream catcher had a meaning.

Hoop:‰Û¢_The wooden hoop was either circular or teardrop shaped. It served primarily as a frame for the web, but some believe it represents the circle of life.
Web:‰Û¢_‰Û¢_The web, traditionally patterned after a spider_ÌÏ_s web, was to catch bad dreams and keep them from entering the dreamer_ÌÏ_s head.
Feathers: Numerous purposes are assigned to feathers that hang from the hoop. Many believe they provide a soft ladder for the good dream to glide down and gently enter into the dreamer_ÌÏ_s mind.

In more modern times makers have added other items to dream catchers.

Beads: A single bead often represents the spider that made the web. Many beads or hanging beads can represent good dreams that trapped during the night.
Gem Stones: ‰Û¢_Because it is illegal for most people to posses certain types of feathers, gem stones are now used to replace the symbolism feathers once held.
Arrowheads: ‰Û¢_For increased strength and protection, some makers add arrowheads. For other, arrowheads point to the four corners of the earth, directions from which the wind blows.