"More than 40 color photographs feature contemporary dream catchers and artifacts with informative captions that identify and comment on the different patterns, their significance and history. Dream Catchers features the work of Native artist Nick Huard who creates dream catchers in his studio in Kahnawake outside of Montreal."--

In books such as Mystics and Messiahs, Hidden Gospels, and The Next Christendom, Philip Jenkins has established himself as a leading commentator on religion and society. Now, in Dream Catchers, Jenkins offers a brilliant account of the changing mainstream attitudes towards Native American spirituality, once seen as degraded spectacle, now hailed as New Age salvation. Jenkins charts this remarkable change by highlighting the complex history of white American attitudes towards Native religions, considering everything from the 19th-century American obsession with "Hebrew Indians" and Lost Tribes, to the early 20th-century cult of the Maya as bearers of the wisdom of ancient Atlantis. He looks at the popularity of the Carlos Castaneda books, the writings of Lynn Andrews and Frank Waters, and explores New Age paraphernalia including dream-catchers, crystals, medicine bags, and Native-themed Tarot cards. He also examines the controversial New Age appropriation of Native sacred places and notes that many "white indians" see mainstream society as religiously empty. An engrossing account of our changing attitudes towards Native spirituality, Dream Catchers offers a fascinating introduction to one of the more interesting aspects of contemporary American religion.

After big sister makes a dreamcatcher, a net of fibers that catches bad dreams, she feels comforted in the knowledge that her baby sister will now be able to sleep safely and peacefully, in a charming story about Ojibwa life. Reprint.

The Ojibwa people strongly believe in the myths and legends that make up their spiritual and cultural life. A significant part of the Ojibwa's spiritual life is the dreamcatcher. Although the exact genesis of this intriguing artifact is unknown, there are many beautiful and lyrical legends that reflect the dreamcatcher's beginnings. The dreamcatcher is a web-like structure built into a circular frame. Beauty is derived in the dreamcatcher through the symmetry of natural accents. The frame is often made from fresh tender wood that is bent to form a hoop or circle into which a web is then woven. The web is often made of deer sinew or colored thread. Often the webs are 'spun' with a hole in the center and decorated with stones or feathers or other natural materials. The Ojibwa believe that the dreamcatcher will serve throughout one's life as an invitation for good dreams to come to rest with the sleeper, as well as the fortification against nightmares and evil spirits. The good dreams flow through the web and into the dreamer, while the bad dreams and evil spirits are caught in the strands of the web and never reach the dreamer. One of the Ojibwa legends about the creation of the dreamcatcher suggests that the dreamcatcher was a gift from a spider to the Ojibwa people, in return for a favor an Ojibwa once did for the spider. This theme, among many others, is carried throughout this gorgeously illustrated book that charts the development of this living legend through the combination of photography and text. The Ojibwa of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Regions share a related history with many of their sister Algonquin tribes who can be found throughout the United States and Canada. The Ojibwa have introduced the dreamcatcher and its legends to the rest of the world as a living artifact of Native culture. Throughout history, the interaction between Ojibwa and other Native tribes has taught European settlers about the elusive boundary between the spiritual world, that is the world of consciousness and the world of dreams. Featured are more than 30 color photographs of contemporary dreamcatchers created by Native people with informative captions that identify and comment on the different patterns and their significance.

A dream catcher is a craft object traditionally made by Native Americans. It is a hoop, often made of willow, that is woven with a web of string or cord, and decorated with feathers and beads. The dream catcher is said to filter out bad dreams, allowing only good dreams to pass through to the sleeper. The good dreams are said to slide down the feathers to the sleeper, while the bad dreams are trapped in the webbing and destroyed by the morning light. Dream catchers are typically hung above a person's bed and are believed to protect the sleeper from nightmares. They are often given as gifts to children or loved ones, to protect them while they sleep. The Ojibwe people, an indigenous people of North America, have a longstanding tradition of making and using dream catchers. The legend behind the dreamcatcher says that the spider woman, Asibikaashi, in the Ojibwe culture, would visit the people in their dreams and take away the bad dreams and give good dreams. The dreamcatcher is said to have originated with the Ojibwe people, but it has since been adopted by other Native American tribes and cultures. Dreamcatchers are made in different sizes, but most commonly are circular, with a diameter of around 6-8 inches. The hoop is usually made of willow, which is bent and woven together to form a circular shape. The webbing is then woven through the hoop, and the dreamcatcher is decorated with feathers and beads. The feathers are said to represent the breath of life and the beads are said to represent the tears of joy. The dreamcatcher is considered a sacred object that should be treated with respect. Dreamcatcher has become a popular decorative item and many people hang it in their homes to bring good luck, peace and harmony. It has also been used as a symbol of cultural appropriation. Many people have started to use it without understanding its significance and meaning in the Native American culture.

The dream catcher is believed to have the power to catch all of a person’s dreams, trapping the bad ones and letting only the good dreams pass through and down to the individual. Dream Catcher Lullabies is the perfect book to read with your child at bedtime or nap time so your child can fall asleep thinking about all the things that they are thankful for in their life. It will encourage them to think about the good things they wish to have in their life, to use their imagination, and to follow their dreams. Spiderweb above my head, catch all my dreams tonight . . .

In the time-honored tradition of James Bond comes the ultimate kit for sleuths everywhere. Secret Code Detective Kit contains a cipher wheel, invisible-ink pen, secret decoder lens, and The Secret Code Book. Children will love creating secret messages in more than 15 different codes. B&W illustrations.