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Amongst North American Indians, historically much
of a baby's first two years were spent in cradleboards. Typically,
a baby was wrapped in soft sphagnum moss. Baby and moss were then
placed in a ‘moss bag’, such as this one, which was
then laced on to a cradleboard. The representation of a spider’s
web hanging from the bag is a 'dreamcatcher' – it is designed
to catch the bad dreams in the air, allowing only the good dreams
through to the sleeping baby. Dreamcatchers come from the Ojibwa
and Cree peoples of north America. This one is from the community
of Norway House in northern Manitoba.
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