Ethnographer Frances Densmore in 1929 recorded an Ojibwe legend according to which the " spiderwebs " protective charms originate with Spider Woman , known as '' Asibikaashi '' ; who takes care of the children and the people on the land . As the Ojibwe Nation spread to the corners of North America it became difficult for Asibikaashi to reach all the children . So the mothers and grandmothers weave webs for the children , using willow hoops and sinew , or cordage made from plants . The purpose of these charms is apotropaic and not explicitly connected with dreams : Even infants were provided with protective charms . Examples of these are the " spiderwebs " hung on the hoop of a cradle board . In old times this netting was made of nettle fiber . Two spider webs were usually hung on the hoop , and it was said that they " caught any harm that might be in the air as a spider 's web catches and holds whatever comes in contact with it . " Basil Johnston , an elder from Neyaashiinigmiing , in his '' Ojibway Heritage '' ( 1976 ) gives the story of Spider ( , " little net maker " ) as a trickster figure catching Snake in his web . While Dreamcatchers continue to be used in a traditional manner in their communities and cultures of origin , a derivative form of " dreamcatchers " were also adopted into the Pan-Indian Movement of the 1960s and 1970s as a symbol of unity among the various Native American cultures , or a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures . The name " dream catcher " was published in mainstream , non-Native media in the 1970s and became widely known as a " Native crafts item " by the 1980s , by the early 1990s " one of the most popular and marketable " ones . <!-- In 1978, David Wagoner used "Songs for the Dream-Catchers" as a section title in his "Who shall be the sun?: Poems based on the lore, legends, and myths of northwest coast and plateau Indians". --> In the course of becoming popular outside the Ojibwe Nation , and then outside the pan-Indian communities , various types of " dreamcatchers " , many of which bear little resemblance to the traditional styles , and that even incorporate materials that work against the intended purpose , are now made , exhibited , and sold by New age groups and individuals . Many Native Americans have come to see these " dreamcatchers " as over-commercialized , offensively misappropriated and misused by non-Natives . A mounted and framed dreamcatcher is being used as a shared symbol of hope and healing by the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota . In recognition of the shared trauma and loss experienced , both at their school during the Red Lake shootings , and by other students who have survived similar school shootings , they have traveled to other schools to meet with students , share songs and stories , and gift them with the dreamcatcher . The dreamcatcher has now been passed from Red Lake to students at Columbine CO , to Sandy Hook CT , to Marysville WA , to Townville SC , to Parkland FL
Marysville WA
Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting
Dreamcatcher