Anishinaabe Dreamcatcher
The Leech Lake Anishinaabe Women’s Halfway House treatment component is a seven bed facility designed to work with the client as a “whole”, Native American 12 step approach. We provide individual counseling, groups, Cognitive Behavioral therapies, Service coordination, relapse education as well as incorporating women’s issues, with a special focus on trauma, grief and loss for a total or minimum of 15 hours per week of treatment.
The Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers The Seven Grandfather Words by Helen Roy Fuhst Give Thanks Prayer Grandfather Prayer Bring Us Peace Prayer How Do We Talk About Suicide? Jibwaa Gi’wiisinimin (Before We Eat) We All Thank Them All Prayer Cards (from the Landbody Conference) Making an Offering Miigwech Prayer (Thank You Prayer) Namewin (Prayer). The Origins of the Dreamcatcher The dreamcatcher origins can be traced back to Native American Culture when the Anishinabe people first created it. These tribes resided along the border of the Northern United States and Canada.
This is the time to silence the world around you and to put the focus back on yourself and your recovery; a chance to build a relationship with yourself and the Creator (higher power of your choosing). To help you to grow and strengthen as an individual in preparation to return back to your home, family, community and share your healing experiences with others.
We are a team and as a team we work together, we are women with a vast array of experience and heart knowledge to reach out to those that are hurting. We have an open door policy; no problem too big, no question too small. We provide nothing but the best possible sober living conditions to promote self worth and self esteem right from the start. Our philosophy is all about community, which is vital to our tribe. At the Leech Lake Anishinaabe Women’s Halfway House we have a sense of family and sisterhood.
We have fully trained and licensed staff, 24/7 camera surveillance and security. Our building is new with a playground for visiting children. We encourage clients to have family members come to visit.
Eligibility
- Alcoholic or chemically dependent female
- All women who are enrolled in a federally recognized tribe
- 18 years of age or older
Documents Requested
- Updated Rule 25
- Medical Insurance
Intake Procedure
- Call to make an appointment, a referral is needed
- A Rule 25 is appointment is set on the first available time slot with an assessor
- Complete the Rule 25 assessment
- You will be placed according to your Rule 25 assessment
Our Building and Playground
Our building is new, under five years old and has a chain link fence that surrounds it on two sides. We have a playground for when children come to visit parents or grandparents. It is fenced in and has plenty of room for children to play; slide, Monkey bars, Swings and a Jungle Gym. We encourage clients to have family members come and spend time also a short walk away is Dream catcher Park. This park has many swings, slides and all kinds of fun things for children to play with.
Security
We have 24/7 camera surveillance and Leech Lake Security performs spot checks. The Cass County Sheriff and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Police are within minutes of our facility.
Staff
Lenape Mythology
We have a fully trained staff consisting of four Technicians, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a Manager.
Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation, the Clans were all located in one general area of that place known as Turtle Island. This is the way that the old Ojibwe storytellers say how Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (sun) back to the people. To this day, Asibikaashi will build her special lodge before dawn. If you are awake at dawn, as you should be, look for her lodge and you will see this miracle of how she captured the sunrise as the light sparkles on the dew which is gathered there.
Asibikaasi took care of her children, the people of the land, and she continues to do so to this day. When the Ojibwe Nation dispersed to the four corners of North America, to fill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards, so the mothers, sisters, & Nokomis (grandmothers) took up the practice of weaving the magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops and sinew or cordage made from plants. It is in the shape of a circle to represent how giizis travels each day across the sky. The dream catcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin (dreams) & allow only good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are just abinooji. You will see a small hole in the center of each dream catcher where those good bawadjige may come through. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish. When we see little asibikaashi, we should not fear her, but instead respect and protect her. In honor of their origin, the number of points where the web connected to the hoop numbered 8 for Spider Woman’s eight legs or 7 for the Seven Prophecies.
It was traditional to put a feather in the center of the dream catcher; it means breath, or air. It is essential for life. A baby watching the air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while also being given a lesson on the importance of good air. This lesson comes forward in the way that the feather of the owl is kept for wisdom (a woman’s feather) & the eagle feather is kept for courage (a man’s feather). This is not to say that the use of each is restricted by gender, but that to use the feather each is aware of the gender properties she/he is invoking. (Indian people, in general, are very specific about gender roles and identity.) The use of gem stones, as we do in the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done by the old ones. Government laws have forbidden the sale of feathers from our sacred birds, so using four gem stones, to represent the four directions, and the stones used by western nations were substituted by us. The woven dream catchers of adults do not use feathers.
Anishinaabe Dreamcatcher Movie
Dream catchers made of willow and sinew are for children, and they are not meant to last. Eventually the willow dries out and the tension of the sinew collapses the dream catcher. That’s supposed to happen. It belies the temporary-ness of youth. Adults should use dream catchers of woven fiber which is made up to reflect their adult “dreams.” It is also customary in many parts of Canada and the Northeastern U.S. to have the dream catchers be a tear-drop/snow shoe shape.