Living by the Dream: Native American Interpretation of Night's Visions

Belief in the dream as the pathway to the spirit world gives profound importance to the efficacy of sleep's visions and the power found within their messages. It is said that "all can be found within your dreams." Thus, sacred rituals--involving abstinence from food and drink--are traditionally undertaken to pull the dream and its meaning to the dreamer. In this view, the dreamworld conveys answers to the myriad problems that face both the tribe and the individual. It is not unreasonable to suggest that dreams lie at the very foundation of tribal culture. Indeed, a dream can lay the path for an entire lifetime. For many Native Americans, spiritual experience and participation provide the groundwork for their sense of being. Learn more about the spiritual dream realm, dream catchers, prophecies, the healing power of dreams, and the adulteration of symbolic objects (and more!) in this article, made available by The World & I Online.