Join us for an afternoon of sacred weaving as we explore the history of sacred dreamcatchers that honors the legacy of dreamcatchers in Indigenous history and culture. We will create a personal dreamcatcher using a hoop of willow, vines, and natural fibers and decorate it with findings from nature, as well as any additional charms, crystals, and symbols that are meaningful to you.

Once completed and with respect, we will close our day by visualizing what kind of peaceful dreams you wish your dreamcatcher to bring you. It is recommended to hang the dream catcher above your bed. Once the good dreams travel through the holes, they gently fall through the ribbons and feathers to the dreamer's mind. Good dreams know their way in. Bad dreams get tangled and perish.

About our Facilitator: Brenda Vynalek, part Indigenous American, has been weaving and creating since childhood. She loves incorporating natural fibers in her work—everything from horsehair and feathers to leaves and vines. Using natural fiber sources and their energies, with intention, creates not only a beautiful object but one that can bring you peace and harmony in their making and in their enjoyment.

Event Details:

Sunday, February 25th, from 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Where: Private Residence in East Haddam
$45 investment (supplies included)

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History & Origin of the Dreamcatcher

The tradition of dreamcatchers originates from the Ojibwa tribe. The Ojibwa dreamcatcher symbolizes natural wisdom. Ojibway is the name of the tribe in Canada, and the name of the American tribe is Chippewa. Ojibwas reside in southern Canada in Manitoba and Ontario and the U.S. states of Michigan and Wisconsin.

Indigenous Americans viewed dreams as the energy surrounding individuals as they sleep. The energy produces visions in the person and is typically referred to as “good dreams” or “bad dreams.” Should these dreams affect a person, the result can have a positive or negative impact on their life. The traditional dreamcatcher was intended to protect the sleeping individual from negative dreams while letting positive dreams through. The positive dreams would slip through the hole in the center of the dreamcatcher and glide down the feathers to the sleeping person below. The negative dreams would get caught up in the web and expire when the first rays of the sun struck them.

The Ojibwe constructed dreamcatchers to prevent the bad dreams from affecting the person while capturing the good dreams and channeling that energy into the person’s life. These devices were often made by the women elders in the tribe to control the energy that surrounded the children as they slept.