Dream catchers are a tradition of the Native Americans. They are intended to protect you from negative dreams when sleeping while letting positive dreams through. The dream catcher is a hoop with feathers hanging below it. The dreams are meant to slip through the hole in the center of the dream catcher and then glide down the feathers to the sleeping person below it. The negative dreams are meant to get stuck in the web of the catcher and expire when the rays of the sun strike them early in the morning.

Hoops hold an important symbolism in Native American culture because it symbolizes strength and unity. The hoop is often used in Native American symbols of which the dream catcher is one. They believed that the night air is filled with both good dreams and bad dreams. The traditional hoop is made out of willow or grapevine made into a circle. The center is then filled with hanging feathers arrows and a web of beads on wire in the center in order to trap the bad dreams and only let the good ones pass through the dream catcher.

The lore of the dream catcher talks of an elder Lakota spiritual leader who encounters a spirit in the form of a spider. The spider weaves a web in the leaders willow hoop. The spider gave the willow back to the elder and told him that if you believe in the great spirit the web will filter ideas and let only the good ideas pass through the hold while you sleep. The elder passed on his vision and now many people use dream catchers as they believe it holds their future destiny. Nowadays people wear dream catchers that are designed as jewelry and made into necklaces. Dream catcher necklaces are considered to be good luck charms.