Many years ago, a friend made me a Native-American-style dreamcatcher to hang over my bed to keep nightmares away–the first time I had ever heard of such a thing. Last weekend, I saw hundreds of beautiful dreamcatchers for sale at the Iroquois Festival in my hometown. Read a dreamcatcher legend, find out what they do and how they work, and learn easy instructions for making one for yourself or your child, here.

Dreamcatchers are small hoops, often made of willow, wound around with suede, leather, deer sinew, sage, or nettle stalks, with a spider-weblike net woven inside it. The first dream catchers are believed to have come from the Ojibwe tribe. They’re meant to protect sleepers–especially children–from nightmares. The theory is that bad dreams are stupid, so they get caught in the net, while good dreams just drift down into the sleeper’s mind.

According to Ojibwe belief, it was Asibikaasi–Spider Woman–who instructed the women of the tribe to make dreamcatchers out of willow to protect children from bad dreams. The net was traditionally attached to the hoop in eight places, signifying the eight legs of Asibikaasi, or seven, for the seven prophecies, or 13 for the thirteen full moons of the year.

Dreamcatchers for children usually include a feather, which acts as a helpful guide for good dreams. Also, feathers are representative of the air element, so essential to life.

People from many tribes make dreamcatchers. Some believe that they are made with willow and love to protect the people from evil spirits. The Lakota believe that dreamcatchers filter out harmful thoughts so that the tribespeople can lead peaceful lives.

If you want to make your own dream catcher, here are some instructions.