Dream catcher tattoos with wolf are pretty badass and they look so cool, but how do you go about getting the right ink done on yourself.

Well we scoured the internet to find some of the coolest dreamcatcher tattoos with a wolf designs and also went ahead to get some of the teachings of the dreamcatcher and teachings about the wolf for you to get that foundational knowledge before you get a cool tattoo.

The Meaning of the Dreamcatcher

We can all kind of get an idea of what a dreamcatcher is by the name. From the name itself we know that the dreamcatcher was suppose to catch bad dreams from coming to you while you are sleeping and act like a filter for bad energy to yourself.

Native American are very spiritual and get a lot of meaning and teachings from the land and animals. Spiritual vision quests are very common in many of the different nations across Turtle Island. Crazy Horse is a famous Lakota person who had such visions in his dreams that kept him safe during battle because of the interpretation of his dream.

It’s great to get into knowing the proper meaning of things before anyone get’s a tattoo or starts making them so they don’t get into the area of culture appropriation. With that said, let’s get into the teachings.

The Dreamcatcher and the Ojibwe People | dream catcher wolf tattoo designs

The dreamcatcher is said to have originated from the Ojibwe people of Eastern Canada and United States. The most populated area of Ojibwe people are in areas such as Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

The Ojibwe come from the Anishinaabe people which makes up 4 different tribes such as the Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Saulteaux, and thee Chippewa peoples.

The Ojibwe were known for their birchbark canoes, Birchbark scrolls, mining and trading copper, and even cultivating rice and maple syrup.

dream catcher tattoo with wolf
5 Ojibwe Chiefs coming from the 19th century

The Ojibwe Legend of Spiderwoman

Many Native American people have legends and stories. The way teaching were passed down wasn’t through books like they do in schools today, but more through stories and teachings passed down orally and through action.

One such legend was that of the Spider woman.

She was a high spirit for the Ojibwe people that watched over the people and helped with bringing the Sun spirit back to the people. When the people spread out to the 4 corners of the world, Spider Woman had found it difficult to reach all the people.

So what the woman did within the tribes was weave webs using sinew from animals they hunted and willow hoops.

dream catcher tattoo with wolf
Willow Hoop Dreamcatcher original how it would be made

The people saw this as a filter of bad energy which only allowed good energy to come in while we sleep.

The shape of the dreamcatcher is a circle. In Native American culture, the circle represents so much things and can be attributed to the medicine wheel, the drum, the base of a tipi, the circle of life, the circle of seasons, the sun, moon, and earth.

For the Ojibwe people the dreamcatcher shape represented how the sun travelled over the skies. There would be a small circle left in the middle of the dreamcatcher and that is where the good dreams can come and enter.

Some people would place a feather near the centre of the dreamcatcher which would represent the freshness of air. When the babies saw the feather dancing on the dreamcatcher from the wind, it would act as some sort of entertainment for the children in the cradleboards.

When gemstones were placed within the dreamcatcher it would represent the Great Spirit, the creator of all things within dreamcatcher.

Originally when creating the dreamcatcher there would be eight points of connection to represent the eight legs of a spider. Then you would continue to weave your way through it all until you had a complete dreamcatcher to use for yourself and your family.

Nowadays dreamcatchers have become mainstream and people have them as tattoos, hanging as vehicle ornaments, people buy them as keychains, make them as crafting projects and more.

It’s important to understand the meanings before anyone goes out and gets a dream catcher wolf tattoo without fully understanding the stories.

The Story of the Wolf and it’s Meaning | Dream Catcher Tattoos With Wolf

dream catcher tattoo with wolf

In the Ojibwe language, the word they use for wolf is “Ma’iingan – The one put here by that All Loving Spirit to show us the way.”

The wolf has a high spot when it comes to Native American people, and especially the Ojibwe people. For them, the wolf was pretty much apart of the family, being referred often as a brother or sister of the tribe’s family.

They were also a great symbol to the people. They represented courage, strength, loyalty, and success at hunting in how well they worked together and accomplished goals as a team.

When the world started, the wolf was put here to help people, You can think of it almost like dogs today. The wolf is a partner to man.

Elder Jim Merhar

Long ago animals and humans were able to communicate with each other and one of the wisest of the animals was the Wolf. The wolf use to mentor the people and teach them how to conduct themselves in social settings as well as when they were hunting.

The Wolves separate themselves into Wolf Packs and this is a system that many Native American people do till this day is that families can belong to an animal clan and take on certain responsibilities for the tribes that work to benefit everyone within the community.

As you can see there are many teachings just from the Wolf and the dreamcatcher. It can help you carry on a good way of life and how you treat other people in a good way.

Creating Your Dream catcher Tattoos With Wolf Meaning of them Both Together

When you put these two symbols together you have a great mix of great things. You have the dreamcatcher that blocks out bad energy and only allows for good energy and good dreams to come in which is protected by the Spider Woman spirit and also has the Sun being represented as well.

Then you have the Wolf which shares its story of being a protector and creating law and order for yourself and your community. It’s a reminder that nothing should be done selfishly but for the greater good of your tribe, clan, or community.

We must give thanks to the Ojibwe people for their creation of the Dreamcatcher and the Native American people for the great relationship between the animals and respect for everything on this land.


    2 replies to "Top Dream catcher Tattoos With Wolf and It’s Meaning"

    • Mary Whitecrane

      MY GRANDFATHER CHARLES REDBIRD NEVER CAME HOME AFTER THE WAR RIP. He Animal Dance WOLF in the CHEYENNE Sun dance he was a medicine man in our tribe a healer. Southern CHEYENNE from OKLAHOMA

      • admin

        Hey Mary, I’m very sorry to hear about your Grandfather. If you have any great stories you want to share about your Grandfather so we can feature it here and share it with everyone, let us know. We would be honored to honour your Grandfather that way.

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