Because of this, dreamcatchers traditionally must be hung above the bed in a place where morning sunlight can touch them. Bad dreams are caught up in the net and destroyed in the light of day. Good dreams are allowed to pass through the sacred hoop and down the feather to comfort the slumbering soul below. The dream catcher attracts and catches them all. The Ojibwa tribe believes that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. These hoops acted as defensive talismans, became a proxy for Asibikaashi's protection, and preceded what we now call 'dream catchers.' To help extend her protective reach, the Ojibwe people shaped willow into hoops, tied a symbolic web of nettle-stalk or sinew in its center and added feathers near the web's heart. As they spread over a larger geographical region, it became difficult for her to protect them all. She is both a mother figure and protector of the Ojibwe people, especially children. The core mythos tells the story of Asibikaashi, the Spider Woman. The details of the story vary slightly, as many oral histories do. The creation of the dream catcher is widely credited to the Ojibwe nation, also known as the Anishinaabe or Chippewa depending on the region.

Origin of the dream catcher