A dream catcher is a handmade charm traditionally woven from a willow hoop and decorated with beads and feathers. It is believed to protect sleepers from bad dreams by trapping them in its web. Good dreams, on the other hand, are said to pass through the center hole and slide down the feathers to the sleeping person below.
Dream catchers are said to have originated with the Ojibwe people of North America. The Ojibwe believed that the dream catcher would catch bad dreams in its web and allow only good dreams to pass through. Dream catchers were often hung above the beds of children to protect them from nightmares.