How to Make a Sioux Dreamcatcher
Sioux legend states dreamcatchers derived from a meeting between the spiritual leader Lakota and Itkomi, the trickster and teacher of wisdom. Itkomi, who appeared as a spider, made a web for Lakota who took it back to the Sioux people. The web could catch the good dreams of anyone who slept below it, but the bad ones would pass through the hole in the center. Don't worry; you don't have to be a spiritual leader to make your own dreamcatcher, just some spare time.
Things You'll Need
- 8 inch diameter metal ring
- 5 yards of Leather lacing
- Clothespin
- Scissors
- Artificial sinew spool
- Strong craft glue
- Five feathers
- Four Pony beads
Instructions
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1
Put a two drops of glue the metal ring and use a paper towel to rub it over the entire ring.
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2
Tightly wrap the ring with leather lacing so that the metal will end up completely covered. Open a clothespin and clip it down on the first wrap to hold the lacing in place.
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3
Put extra glue on the ring for the final inch of wrapping. Cut the lacing when you are done. Move the clothespin to the final wrap; the lacing at the start will now be stuck to the ring.
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4
Allow the glue to set for around 10 minutes and then remove the pin.
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5
Tie the end of the artificial sinew to the ring. Pull the sinew over the hoop about 3 inches away and then feed the end through the gap between the sinew and ring. Pull the end to tighten. This is a half-hitch.
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6
Continue making half-hitches every 3 inches until you come back to the start of the sinew. At this point you need to make your half-hitch loops on the center of the half-hitches from the first layer.
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7
Repeat this process until you have a hole measuring a ½ inch in the center.
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8
Tie a knot in the inner circle. This must line up with one of points were the original half-hitches are tied so the dreamcatcher will look right when hanging.
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9
Cut the lacing around 5 inches after the knot in the inner circle.
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10
Tie a very small feather, or the tip of a feather, to the end of the sinew. This should dangle inside the hole in the center of the dreamcatcher when the dreamcatcher is stood up straight.
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11
Cut off three pieces of leather lacing, each measuring roughly 20 inches.
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12
Find the top of the dreamcatcher; this is the point that you used to line up your final knot in step 8.
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13
Fold a piece of leather lacing in half and pull it around the ring at the top. You will now have a loop and two ends. Feed the two ends of the lacing through the loop and pull tight.
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14
Tie the ends into a knot with a few inches to spare. This is the point that you will hang the dreamcatcher from.
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15
Repeat step 13 at two points at the bottom of the dreamcatcher. The three points that the leather lacing is tied to the ring should roughly be in a triangular pattern.
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16
Thread two pony beads onto the lace on both of the bottom pieces of lacing. Apply glue underneath to hold them in place. These beads should be spaced apart from one another. Attach two feathers to each application of glue.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
