How the Native American dreamcatcher took over the world

Dreamcatchers have become popular all over the world, but this protective charm has a long and storied history that’s intertwined with the Native American cultures of North America. Here we’ll explore the history and meaning of the dreamcatcher, and shed some light on its significance.

Origins of the Dreamcatcher

The dreamcatcher is widely believed to originate from Ojibwe people, a first nation tribe that lived in the southeast of what is now Canada. Taking the form of a spider's web, the dreamcatcher was traditionally made from willow and plant fibres and was hung above the cradle or bed of a child to provide protection from bad dreams.

Dreamcatcher Meaning

The Ojibwe people spoke of the Spider Grandmother known as Asibikaashi. She is an important protective deity, and as the native peoples expanded across America, the dreamcatcher became a way for distant people to connect with the spider grandmother and obtain her protection for their children. As a result, mothers and close female relatives were inspired to create spider web charms which often included sacred items such as feathers and beads, and the dreamcatcher was born.

Pan-Indian Movement

During the 1960s and ‘70s the Pan-Indian movement sought to unify the descendents of the first nation tribes. It was a political and social justice movement that looked to protect native peoples and their traditions, and the dreamcatcher became its de facto symbol. Even tribes that had no history of spider charms adopted the dreamcatcher as a unifying symbol, and they became a popular craft item that were sold widely to create income for disenfranchised reservations across America and Canada. 

Dreamcatchers Today: Macrame Dreamcatcher

The cannagar has emerged as the newest luxury toking method for high flying aficionados. These premium smokes exhibit all the prestige of the classic cigar, but with none of the tobacco, and are rapidly becoming the smoking choice for those special occasions. Despite seeming modern, however, the story of the cannagar is surprisingly long. So, let’s explore the history of this luxury specialty.  

What is a Cannagar?

A cannagar is like a cigar but, as the name would suggest, it’s not filled with tobacco. Typically, herb is tightly compressed around a removable wooden skewer, and then wrapped in fan leaves to create a slow burning full flavored toke that can last for hours. They’re the toast of the town right now, and may seem new, but cannagars are actually a modern evolution of a much older idea.

The Thai Stick

The Thai Stick is considered to be the father of the cannagar, and unsurprisingly originates from Thailand, a country with a rich history of herbal cultivation and use. Traditionally, Thai Sticks were a method of creating a smokable product using only the parts available from the cannabis plant. The stem was used as a core around which to press flower, and then wrapped in fan leaves and tied together with fibres from another stem, creating a cigar-like joint free of any tobacco. While the exact origins of Thai Sticks are unknown, they were hugely popular throughout southeast Asia during the ‘60s and ‘70s, and even made it to our shores thanks to a monumental event in American history. 

Vietnam and The War on Drugs

During the Vietnam war, a huge cannabis industry sprung up selling weed to the tens of thousands of American GI’s stationed in Thailand. The Thai Stick was a huge hit, and soldiers would often smuggle them back when returning home, which ultimately introduced this Southeast Asian classic to the American weed smokers of the hippy counterculture. They became so popular in fact that they eventually drew the ire of the DEA, who in the midst of their war on drugs outlawed cannabis along with Thai Sticks in America, and even forced Thailand to do the same. As a result, the Thai Stick all but disappeared from cannabis culture in the US.