In some Native American cultures, a dreamcatcher is a handmade object based on a willow hoop, on which is spider web and decorated with sacred items such as feathers and beads. Traditionally, the Ojibwe construct dreamcatchers by tying sinew strands in a web around a small round or tear-shaped frame of willow The resulting "dream-catcher", hung above the bed, is used as a charm to protect sleeping people, usually children, from nightmares.
The Ojibwe believe that a dreamcatcher changes a person's dreams. Good dreams would pass through and slide down the feathers to the sleeper.