A custom practiced by some Plains Indian tribes was fashioning a leather wrapped circle and tying string through its middle in the pattern of a spider web. An opening was left in the center of the web to which was attached various good luck charms. Fastening the talisman to the head of a cradleboard allowed the child’s good dreams to pass through the web’s hole, trapping the malevolent forces in the web.

The Apache woman has traded for the talisman – called a Dreamcatcher – and views it in wonder and hope for her young child’s future . . .determined to give the child every advantage – using magic and mysticism to insure the child’s well being.