Indigenous Made Dream Catcher
Beautiful handmade dreamcatchers by Maggie Vicaire. Native made and one of a kind shipped from Vancouver B.C. Monague Native Crafts is a 100% Native-owned Canadian WHOLESALE company supplying top quality, authentic handmade dream catchers, jewellery and unique gifts and souvenirs for over 30 years. All products are designed by the Monague family and proudly handcrafted by artisans that have been with the family for generations. Each piece is created to represent and emphasize. Native American dream catchers make it easy to decorate with an American Indian theme. The southwestern Indian tribes are still active in making handcrafted artifacts. You can have real antler, leather wood and rawhide. Dream catchers are a great way to dress up a wall in any room.
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Ten years ago one of the most popular and marketable Native crafts items was the dream catcher.
It is still popular, as evidenced by a Jan. 29-31 workshop at the Alberta Aboriginal Head Start conference in Edmonton. It was run by Bev Longboat, the executive director at the Niwasa (Little Ones) Head Start Program at Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ont., and by Alice Noah, originally from Walpole Island, Ont., but now living in Fort McMurray.
As the legend goes, according to Longboat, 'there was a very special woman who was responsible for the children. Her name was Spider Woman, a name likely given as was customary in Indian tradition.
'Her job,' said Longboat, 'was to web these dream catchers and hang them above a baby's cradle board while the infant was sleeping. As its popularity increased, however, it proved too much for Spider Woman to take on because she could not travel from one location to another and try to look after all of the children.
'So, at that time, she passed the webbing (technique) down to the aunties, grandmothers and the mothers, to look after the webbing for the children and the young.'
The dream catchers were made of willow.
'The little opening at the centre of the web allowed the good dreams to pass through and filter down through the feather(s) hanging from the dream catcher, and into the dreaming minds of the children. It was another stage of life that a child went through,' explained Longboat.
In constructing the dream catcher, she continued, 'significant was the number of points where the sinew was wrapped around the willow.
'In the original story,' she stated, 'there were eight points for her eight legs. Still others used seven points for the seven grandfathers or the seven prophecies. Some used five for the five sky shapes, some have used 13 as signifying the moons and some used 28 for the lunar months.'
As for the shape of the original dream catcher, 'it was made in a circle ? a representation of the sun that travels across the earth.'
But, it's not uncommon to find them in a tear shape.
'The traditional dream catcher,' she added, 'was between three-and-a-half and five inches in diameter. Any larger, it loses its significance, its traditional value or you could say, the power of the dream catcher itself.'
Over time, things about the dream catcher have changed. Things were added to it.
Noah mentions the significance of the three beads that were woven into a dream catcher. 'The three beads stand for our three fires ? the Potowotami, Ottawa and Chippewa Nations. So, when I do crafts, I put three of them on my work.'
While the number of feathers attached to a dream catcher may vary, some crafts people only use one to symbolize knowledge or wisdom.
'It's entirely up to you on how many you add on,' said Longboat. 'Just about everything you put on there has a significance, depending on the person doing the webbing.'
But before picking any willow(s), one should make a tobacco or cloth offering to the spirit world.
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However, many non-Native businesses and individuals falsely suggest that their products are Native-made in an attempt to garner more sales. This is illegal. If you come across a non-Native business that states that their products are Native American or if they use Native names in product titles (for example, if they sell an 'Apache Poncho,' 'Navajo Purse,' or 'Native American Earrings,' etc.) please report them to the Indian Arts and Crafts Board at this link. Furthermore, the Navajo Nation has trademarked their name, so any unauthorized use of the word 'Navajo' is in violation of trademark law.
We have all encountered these unethical businesses, and we need to report each one of them. These brands are taking valuable business away from actual Native American artists and small businesses. Please join us in creating a network of people who support Native American creativity, history, and legacy, as well as much-needed economic development in Indian Country.
Beyond Buckskin Boutique - Specializing in Native-made clothing and jewelry, this boutique has you covered when it comes to fashion, from urban wear to haute couture and pop jewelry and an ever changing cast of fashion designers to keep you trendy and decked out in Indigenous gear.
Edzerza Gallery - I swear, the artist and owner, Alano Edzerza, never sleeps. From fashion to jewelry to high-end art, this guy can decorate your world.
Manitobah Mukluks - Mukluks, moccasins, and more. A wide variety, from affordable slip-ons to expensive specialty boots. Real leather, real fur, real awesome.
Eighth Generation - Owned by Northwest Coast-based artist Louie Gong, this site features fun fashion, decor and streetwear at great price points.
OxDx - Streetwear by Jared Yazzie and influenced by Native cultures, street art, and music.
The NTVS - With a motto like 'New threads, old traditions,' this brand features streetwear for guys, gals and kids emblazoned with slogans like 'Native Roots,' 'The Originals,' and cool collabs with Native pop artists like Steven Paul Judd.
Tashina Lee Emery - Elegant hand-crafted jewelry featuring natural materials, inspired by the beautiful environment of the Great Lakes region.
ACONAV - Acoma artist Loren Aragon creates bold and artistic jewelry, runway fashion designs, and affordable streetwear and accessories - all inspired by ancient Acoma Pueblo pottery motifs.
She Native - Sophisticated and higher-end leather goods brand with a mission to empower Indigenous women.
Niio Perkins Designs - Specializing in beautiful, elegant, topnotch Iroquois beadwork, clothing and accessories.
Cetanska - Designs by award-winning artist Dyani White Hawk. Parfleche inspired earrings, one of a kind necklaces, and wool blanket designs.
I Am Anishinaabe - Female family collective of artists sharing Anishinaabe culture through bold and empowering clothing and accessories.
Clan Mother - Hip tees, jackets, and mugs.
Etkie - Stunning high-end beaded cuffs made by a collective of Native American artists in New Mexico.
Urban Native Era - Streetwear with a touch of culture.
Nishology - Cool Caddo-inspired streetwear featuring remixed ancient designs from the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.
Neechie Gear - A Cree-inspired and sports-based clothing store based out of Saskatchewan.
Tan'si Clothing - Cool t-shirts emblazoned with words in the Cree language.
Gourd Jewels - Contemporary Hopi jewelry made from precise laser cut and hand-painted wood.
TP Mocs - Blackfeet-owned and -operated shop with a social mission, featuring modern mocs for only the most stylish tots.
Nishiin Designs - Purses, clothing, and other items embroidered with Anishinaabe style floral designs, based out of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba.
Tundra Berry - Inupiaq-made sealskin earrings, cuffs, pouches, and bowties!
Chippewar - Bold, rowdy streetwear and prints for those looking to make a statement.
Indi City - Bold and bright laser cut badass acrylic jewelry inspired by ancient symbols.
Mad Aunty - Laser cut syllabic cree words remixed into bold and fun jewelry and accessories.
Creations for Continuity - Norther Inuvialuit Iñupiaq jewelry.
Ahlazua - Indigenous female-made fine art and jewelry.
DECOR AND ART
Tlicho Store - Beautiful handmade crafts and clothing of all kinds in Dene style, made by Tlicho artisans.
Arctic Canada Trading Company - This shop offers a wide range of Northern made quality products including birch bark baskets, canvas tents, Inuit carvings, moccasins and mukluks.
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre Online Store- Home decor, baskets, carvings, drums, jewelry, pottery, blankets, moccasins, toys, kitchenware, and more, this is like the Macy's for Northwest Coast Native-made items.
Cherokee Woman - Jewelry, small sculptures, items for the home.
Two Dogs And A Bear - An independent brand committed to producing quality goods and providing them at affordable prices.
Heard Museum Shop - The world-class museum offers exceptional options of art and jewelry through their online shop.
Indigo Arrows - Handmade textiles inspired by ancient Ojibwe pottery designs transformed into chic decor items like pillow cases and tea towels.
Esawa Gifts and Gallery - Alberta-based local business featuring handmade clothing and collectables from the region.
Native Harvest - Various goods, such as beadwork, birchbark, coffee, jellies, and books, produced by Ojibwe members, benefiting the land recovery project at White Earth.
Planet Alaska - Connects you with all things Alaska, from food, fine art, jewelry, and more.
Sarah Agaton Howes - Contemporary Ojibwe art.
Sheridan MacKnight - Chippewa Hunkpapa Lakota ledger artists and jewelry maker.
BEAUTY / SKIN CARE / HEALTH
Cheekbone Beauty - Indigenous-owned beauty brand, known for their make up and Warrior Women liquid lipsticks.
Mother Earth Essentials- Products for the bod.
Sister Sky - All my lady relatives are getting stuff from here. Lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners.
ArXotica - Anti-aging beauty products from the arctic tundra with a triple blend of plants and berries, glacier water, and extra virgin salmon oil.
Skwálwen - Indigenous skin care and beauty brand celebrating ancestral plant relationships and Squamish culture.
Shimá - Featuring a growing selection of Navajo garden offerings - from ancestral blue corn seeds, to honey, stone-ground blue corn meal, dried herbs and flowers.
Indigenous Made Dream Catchers
Spotted Horse Coffees - Roasts fair trade and organic coffee, featuring amazing Indigenous Women Coffee Producers, from El Salvador, Chiapas, Costa Rica, Honduras and more.
Morning Light Kombucha - Local kombucha served on tap! Native Female owned, supporting local growers, Native communities & our earth, one fill at a time.
Séka Hills - Specialty foods, like olive oil, wildflower honey, nuts, beef jerky, hummus, and pickled asparagus, from the Yocha Dene Wintun Nation.
O-Gap-Pah Coffee - Fresh beans roasted daily for a high-quality cup of coffee.
Off the Rez - Seattle’s first Native-owned food truck.
First American Art Magazine - Leading journal of Indigenous arts of the Americas.
Birchbark Books - Owned by Louise Erdrich, a store specializing in books, art and jewelry based out of Minneapolis.
Indigenous Made Dream Catcher Canada
Native Realities - All your Indigenous comic book needs and wants.
Chickasaw Press - Native-owned from Oklahoma, featuring both fiction and non-fiction options.
Great Oak Press - Native-owned from California, focusing on sharing and preserving Indigenous languages and cultures.
View my profile on Etsy to find more cool Native-owned shops - I'm always adding new ones to my favorites list!