Dream catchers are a popular symbol that represents Native-Americans, originally created to keep children from having nightmares.
A dream catcher generally consists of a hoop with a web woven in it. Hanging from the hoop are fringes with feathers attached at the ends, but what is the meaning behind each part.
The Sigma Omicron Epilson, a Native American Sorority, held its sixth annual dream catcher workshop Tuesday night to educate people about the symbolism and history of the dream catcher and to learn how to make them in honor of Native American/American Indian Heritage Month.
Chelsea Locklear, a junior in international studies and the president of Sigma Omicron Epsilon, said the purpose of dream catchers is to create a peaceful sleeping environment.
“The dream catcher was started by the Chippewa tribe. When you’re sleeping, bad dreams get trapped in the web. If you notice, there’s always hole in middle. The good dreams go through it and go down the feathers,” Locklear said.
Though the symbolism behind a dream catcher varies with different tribes, the definition she gave has become its universal meaning.
Natasha Tinsley understood the purpose of dream catchers and said she even saw it work with her roommate.
“I wanted a dream catcher because my roommate has one. I thought it would be fun to make … One day, I was messing with hers and shook it. I told her to tell me is she had a bad dream that night and she did,” Tinsley, a junior in biology and agriculture engineering, said.
Sofonious Mehari, a sophomore biochemistry, said he decided to attend not only to learn about another culture but to also improve his grades.
“This was an extra credit opportunity in peer mentoring class, this is part of a culture experience,” Mehari said.
Mehari said he enjoyed taking part in the event and learning about another culture because he had “never been exposed to Native American culture before.”
“I’m glad I came,” Mehari said. “I understand why it is reverent and people hold dream catchers up high. I didn’t know they were as serious before.”
Cody Oxendine, a sophomore in psychology, said he appreciated people from different backgrounds attending the event and learning about Native American culture.
“I came to support my heritage. It’s nice to see people who aren’t same ethnicity as I am here,” Cody Oxendine, who is a member of Epsilon Chi Nu, a Native American Fraternity, said.
Cody Oxendine said dream catchers are nostalgic for him because he hung one over his bed when he was younger.
Sarah Oxendine, a sophomore in zoology and member of Sigma Omicron Epsilon, said the event was so popular that the 70 dream catcher kits NASA and her sorority brought had all been distributed within an hour.
According to Locklear, they handed out 50 more dream catcher kits than the 2008 event.
The kits included beads, feathers, sinew and suede laces of different colors.
Some people even personalized their dream catchers to exhibit school spirit.
“The feathers of my dream catcher are red and white because we attend a red and white institution,” Mehari said.
Though the event was meant to be fun, Locklear said the dream catcher workshop it was also meant to be educational and to pay tribute to the rich history of Native Americans.
“It’s Important to learn about Native Americans, because they are a big part of American history,” Locklear said. “We don’t learn that much about them in school, so in college it’s important to learn a lot about cultures.”
Jessica Williams, a graduate student, helps Lauren Houston, a junior in industrial and systems engineering, on the first step of making a dream catcher, the wrapping of the web. The sisters of Sigma Omicron Epsilon hosted the sixth annual dream catcher workshop. “It’s a fun craft that people can easily relate too, and every one wants to get rid of bad dreams,” Williams said. Photo by Sarah Tudor
