Ashley Clark keeps a dreamcatcher in almost every room of her home.
Typically hung above cradles or beds, Clark said dreamcatchers trap negative dreams and energy inside their web to be burned off in the morning sunlight. This ensures that only good dreams and energy are let in while the protected person is sleeping.
Clark is the Wahta Mohawk founder of Bougie Birch, an arts social enterprise which runs dreamcatcher-making workshops. Clark said she’s been hosting at least one workshop per month for the past two years.
The Charlatan sat down with Clark to learn more about the meaning behind dreamcatchers and the importance of authentic Indigenous art.
The Charlatan (TC): What’s the story behind the dreamcatcher’s origin?
Ashley Clark (AC): The Ojibwe story goes that there was a grandson running around his grandma’s house, and he went to step on the spider, but the grandma protected it, saying, “you don’t step on that spider.” She was then gifted the web from the spider as protection, and that’s how we got the dreamcatcher’s weave.
They were intended to be made by older females in the groups and hung above the baby’s cradle to help protect against illnesses, bad energies, bad dreams and anything that could hurt or negatively impact the child.
TC: How have dreamcatchers evolved over time?
AC: These oral histories and storytelling were created to explain something we couldn’t explain realistically. So the story hasn’t changed, but the application is broader now. Dreamcatchers also function for adults — I know I have one in every window except one in my apartment. The dreamcatcher’s use has evolved because people have realized they don’t have to be a child for it to work. We’re all children at heart.
TC: We’ve talked about its historical significance, but is there any cultural appropriation that you’ve seen of dreamcatchers?
AC: To avoid appropriating the dreamcatcher, you would want to use it for its sacred purpose: protection from negative energy and nightmares that would come when you’re sleeping, because that’s when you’re most vulnerable to the spirit world. Just like good dreams — which are good messages from our ancestors — there are bad messages and bad energies. To honour the craft, you would want to maintain that integrity and purpose.
Dreamcatchers are a piece of cultural intellectual property that’s unfortunately been exploited, so acknowledging its history is a small piece of reconciliation. On that level, the dreamcatcher has been stolen, for lack of a better word … But it’s also the perfect word. It’s just a representation of what’s happened to Indigenous culture on a broader scale.
TC: What dreamcatcher stereotypes do you hope to challenge as an artist?
AC: In the history and commodification the dreamcatcher went through, you can still find them at the dollar store. I think their biggest misconception is they’re a kids’ craft when, in fact, it’s a craft for a kid to have. Dreamcatchers aren’t easy to make, requiring focus and attention to detail. It’s not a kids’ craft in the sense of infantilizing the skill level required. It’s a kids’ craft, possessive, as in it’s supposed to be gifted to a kid.
AC: I noticed that not many people were making dreamcatchers for sale. So, I began crafting them alongside my beadwork that I would sell. I then started hosting workshops, and I’ve been doing at least one a month for the past 24 months.
It’s a very interdisciplinary craft and every single one is different. I think that’s beautiful. There’s also not a lot of Indigenous dreamcatcher crafters — the fact that there’s still a demand at the dollar store blows my mind. The day I don’t see them there anymore is the day I know I’ve helped flood the market with authentic dreamcatchers. I want dreamcatchers to leave people wanting to know more. I hope that dreamcatchers spark curiosity in authentic Indigenous knowledge.
TC: What is the meaning behind the materials used to make dreamcatchers?
AC: The materials used would traditionally represent your geographic area. The Ojibwe people were the ones originally making them, and they have ducks in most of their territory, so they would use ducks or geese feathers. That geography would also be reflected with bead materials, porcupine quills, clay or bone beads. Shells are another popular material. On the west coast it was originally a dentalium shell, here in the Great Lakes it was the wampum shell — a purple shell you’d usually see related to Iroquois groups.
TC: What does it mean to you to share the process of creating dreamcatchers with others?
AC: For me, it’s creating a third space for people to feel comfortable approaching topics that may seem daunting by using a familiar face. Many people worldwide associate the dreamcatcher with Canada and native people, but its full story isn’t done justice. Using the dreamcatcher as a familiar face makes conversations behind it more accessible. We’re inviting people into our space, as opposed to forcing people to find a space.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image provided by Ashley Clark.
