80+ Mysterious Dreamcatcher Tattoo Designs & Meanings – Dive Deeper (2020)
The American Anishinabe tribe, along with the Ojibwa tribe from Canada, were the original designers of the dreamcatcher. These two tribes believed that a spider web helped to protect the new babies. The spider webs were woven around the baby’s crib by a mythical, spider woman.
The tribes then started to hang the dream catchers over the baby’s crib, since they believed that the mythical woman wasn’t able to visit every newborn baby. For this reason, the dreamcatcher was originally designed with 8 points, which symbolized the legs of a spider.
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Over time, the design of the dreamcatchers changed, with an aim of making them more elegant. The dreamcatchers are sacred in the culture of Native America. For this reason, the natives are rejecting the dreamcatcher tattoos on the body. They specifically object foreigners from having those tattoos on them.
Meaning of the Dreamcatchers and the tattoos
These tattoos are basically based on the original dreamcatchers, which is a woven web or net that has extra add-ons like shells, leather, gemstones, feathers, beads, among others. The major aim of designing these items is to bring happy and optimistic dreams, while trapping the bad dreams.
Conversely, there are some, who believe that the bad dreams will get through the hole at the center. As the negative dreams pass, the positive and good dreams are trapped by the web.
With the tattoos, they are meant to help the person wearing them to chase away the bad dreams. Technically, they help to trap the bad dreams and allow the person to have good and positive dreams. They also symbolize a cultural heritage of a person.
For that, the person with the tattoo might be in need of having positive dreams, while others might wear it as a sign of a cultural heritage.
They are worn in different areas, with different meaning, but all in all, they have a particular significance, mostly, they are used to bring sweet dreams to the person wearing them.
back to menu ↑Types of Dreamcatcher Tattoos
A dreamcatcher has no different types, but the design is what might differ.
The same applies to the tattoos that have the design of a dreamcatcher. The type of dreamcatcher will determine the sort of tattoo that will be applied to the person’s body. Also, the part of the body will vary from one person to another.
Some people opt to have the tattoo on different parts of their body, starting from the hand and palm, the side, the back, the thigh and the foot as well. The tattoos will vary in terms of the design, the area applied and the color blended.
The design of these tattoos will generally range from one to another. They are made on the basis of four major materials, the beads, hoops, feather and web.
- The beads. There is a single bead that is placed at the center of the dreamcatcher, which might be a symbol of a spider on its web. The size of the bead on the tattoo will depend on the overall size of the dreamcatcher.
- The hoop. This is the frame of the web and to some, it will represent the life cycle of a person, which is also included in the tattoo.
- Feathers. The feather will symbolize the air or breath, so it is there to ensure that the air is freely flowing.
- Web. This is the main aspect of the dreamcatcher that will trap the evil dreams.
The designs will defer, whereby, there are some that will have different beads, either with the shape of a bead, or a cyclone. Others will have different designs of feathers, with different number of feathers.
The size will also vary from one person to another, depending on what they prefer. Some will measure between 2 by 6 inches, while others will be bigger, or even smaller.
There are some that are made with the design of a heart, which is very elegant. They will have beads and feathers that are hanging from the bead, making it elegant and quite simple.
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The part/area applied
The part of the body that the tattoo is applied is also another thing that differentiates the tattoos.
They will be applied in different areas, depending on the preference of the person. Here is a look at some of the common areas that these tattoos are applied;
- The neck
The tattoos will be applied to the neck, but they will be smaller and in most cases, they are not so much detailed.
Most of the tattoos on the neck are basic and they are not meant to be seen by the people. Tattoos on the neck can be blocked by the hair or they can be open.
- The side
With the tattoos on the side, they can be on the side of the body, from below the armpits to the waist. All the area along the side will be tattooed and the size will range from one person to another. The side can also include the side of the thigh.
- The back
The back tattoo will entirely feel the back, but it will determine on the size of the tattoo itself.
There are some that will only feature the upper section of the back, while others will feature the entire back.
- The foot
The foot is also another area that will look great with a dreamcatcher, which should be small enough, since it will only be around the ankle.
- Arm/sleeves
This is the most common area that tattoos are worn and the dreamcatcher is also one of them. This will be big, depending on the preference of the person applying it.
The arms, palm and leg will be seen easily, which is also an intention of the person wearing the tattoo. Nonetheless, the back, side and sometimes the neck, are more secretive and are more recommended to those that are visiting a Native American community.
This will help you enjoy your sweet dreams, while still maintaining peace and respect. Always learn about the significance of the tattoo and where to have it, before you apply it.