In the Hopi religion, the Spider Grandmother, or the Spider Woman is the creator of all human kind. She is actually related to Gaia, the Mother Nature, or Great Goddess. Also known as the great protector and helper of humans (according to Navajo tradition) the Spider Grandmother dates back at least to Teotihuacan – pre-Columbian America, where she is depicted as the Great Goddess. Also known as Asibikaashi, the Spider Grandmother is believed protect the people of the Land. To honor Her and conjure her blessings, people in these lands created charms which have been evolved to what is widely known as dreamcatchers. As the tribes spread all around America, people believed that Asibikaashi was unable to effectively protect all her people. This is why people used these charms – or better portals of Asibikaashi from which she could extend herself, blessings and protective powers.
Traditionally the Dreamcatcher is a handmade charm drenched in Knot Magic Power. It consists of a natural hoop on which a spider web is woven. Its use is not confined to only driving off bad dreams. The Dreamcatcher’s purpose is to protect the dreamer not only from nightmares, but from all causes of bad luck and misfortune. This common misunderstanding probably comes from the Native American’s belief, that all caused of bad luck, ill health and misfortune is actually the result of a spiritual agent. In other words, diseased, sudden deaths, accidents and other unfortunate events are caused by spirits.
The Portal Theory: According to this belief, the Dreamcatcher is nothing but a spiritual portal, an instrument of Great Goddess. It acts like a sigil, conjuring her Divine powers over the room where the dreamcatcher is placed. This is why it is hang over cradles or beds. Asibikaashi, the spider goddess, will bless the room with her magic and trap all evil agents and spirits on her web. The Great Goddess shall not let evil pass through this space because Evil is afraid of the Her.
For Asibikaashi to protect you, treat others, yourself and the earth with dignity and respect.
References
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-McCain, Becky Ray. Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman, 1998. McClellan, Catharine. “My Old People Say: An Ethnographic Survey of Southern Yukon Territory.” Ottawa: National Museums of Canada (Publications in Ethnology No.6, Part 2), 1975.
- Schmalz, Peter S. The Ojibwa of Southern Ontario. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991.
- Webber, Alika Podolinsky. “The Healing Vision: Naskapi Natutshikans.” In Stones, Bones and Skin: Ritual and Shamanic Art, edited by Anne Trueblood Brodsky, Rose Daneswich and Nick Johnson, 118-121. Toronto: The Society for Art Publications, 1977.
-Wernitiznig, Dagmar. Europe’s Indians, Indians in Europe: European Perceptions and Appropriations of Native American Cultures from Pocahontas to the Present. Lanham,
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