Dreamcatcher
A hoop with a woven web that the Ojibwe made for children; now mass-produced, which many Native people dislike.
Also: asabikeshiinh, dream catcher, Ojibwe web, spider web charm
The dreamcatcher began with the Ojibwe, or Anishinaabe, of the Great Lakes, where it is called asabikeshiinh, little spider. It is a small willow hoop with a web of sinew, hung over a cradle to protect a baby. An Ojibwe teaching tells of Asibikaashi, Spider Woman, who looked after the people. In the 1960s and 1970s the object spread through the Pan-Indian movement to other nations, and it was soon mass-produced and sold in shops and on cars by non-Native firms. Many Native people regard the commercial dreamcatcher as appropriation, and ask buyers to purchase from Native makers, and some nations such as the Lakota have their own forms. The object is not sold here as a general charm.