The Story so far...
HI I am Sam.
I have been creating dreamcatchers for over 8yrs as an artform to connect with like-minded individuals. Over this time, I have been dedicated to learning about our spiritual connections as human beings on this planet. Researching history to understand why today’s world is the way it is.
As a child having a great love for the natural world and all its beautiful offerings. Growing up through the 90s we were consistently surrounded by subliminal messages of Native American culture that of course was white man's version. Who else remembers “Indian in the Cupboard” and “Pocahontas.” I still have the first dreamcatcher my mother brought for me as a child, with what I now know is an Apache tear crystal in its center. Now, as an adult I see a few more layers and realize the fight that Indigenous cultures, in what is now America and Australia have had to go through and still go through. As a white person with a caring open heart, I naturally went through a period of white shame and guilt, to the point I was no longer going to create my creations.
Yes, I am a white person, my ancestors are white. They too were cut from their lands, forced to rename their gods, conform or die. The Roman empire has a lot to do with this, then after their capture of Britannia and a few thousand years later, the English empire (which is also why I ask the question, did the Roman Empire really die?). The ones that survived the Romans got caught in the English as they began with their own and moved across to India, Africa, West Indies, Caribbean, America and then Australia (in a nutshell). Those who have gone down this path of learning know the absolute disgusting nature of it all. How could those that inflicted so much pain on other humans even be called human. We of course have snippets, broken stories, misleading stories, different perspectives. Where we can draw truth is in the cross overs of cultures. From ancient times many stories tell the same story, it just has different words meaning the same thing, or dressed in different clothes, symbols. They all do come back to our relationship to the natural world.
It is nature that keeps the stories alive, as humans keep fueling the "divide and conquer" scenarios that consistently play out to this very day!
We ALL come from ancient roots. We all have an ancient story. An ancient tribe. Ancient symbols. Ancient practices. So much was lost but through learning from each other we can retrace our historical steps. We can find validation through our natural world of what is to be true. It is the Indigenous cultures here in Australia and America that are leaders for us all, as they still have their connections. The brutality that happened wasn’t that long ago and we have so much to learn from them.
Each culture has a sleep totem. I’ve been told by different Native Americans that each of the tribes had their own version of what it looks like. Naturally the dreamcatcher we know today is associated with the indigenous cultures of Northern America.
I create my version here on Dja Dja Wurrung lands. I don't choose each shape, the material creates its own, I just use my hands to form it. I incorporate sustainable harvested material that is native and introduced. I do this on purpose, because incorporating both elements into something beautiful can in a very small way show what is possible when we can come together in love, harmony, balance and understanding.
We can work together, we really can.
There are so many layers constantly at play. Many angles we can find and learn about. I know I’ve barely scratched the surface and I’ve been active in my endeavors for a few years now.
Those who I have crossed paths with that are elders from “official” to “wisemen” have all given their blessings and this is why I still create today. I don’t need to be ashamed or shamed. I’m not “stealing” but merely opening the door to conversation for learning, understanding and therefore growing as a human being that walks this planet in hope for a better future for all.
If we could all learn to live our day-to-day lives with what we truly actually need, we won’t keep depleting the earth's resources.
So individuals can see each other’s souls instead of the exterior.
To understand we are spirit, passing through these lands in a physical form. To keep knowledge alive so those who come after us can also find a path of peace and inspire love - the strongest vibration of them all.