Recently, it has been pointed out to us by a lady on Instagram that using the word Hozho and creating Dreamcatchers with that as the prefix, plus creating and selling Dreamcatchers amounts to “cultural appropriation” and is offensive and should be discouraged. We do not necessarily agree with her methods of starting a “social movement” against us, however, like any other artist, what does concern us is creative infringement and hurting sentiments of people, which we never will, never have, and never was our intention. She preached strongly as though we are the only Dreamcatcher weaving artists in the world and are a multi-national conglomerate – both so far away from the truth. We thank her for making us aware of the issue, respect her opinions and feel the need to explain our perspective on this matter.

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The word Hozho has an independent meaning in the dictionary. It can be easily looked up on the Internet to find its roots in the Navajo thesaurus. To us – balance, order, harmony, beauty, ideal, goodness, symmetry, health, happiness, satisfaction, perfection, wholeness, blessedness all in one holistic dynamic concept and process, best describes Hózhó. We do not find any of its synonyms offensive – the modern meaning of it or the native one.

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From a source on wiki – Dreamcatchers originated with the Ojibwe people and were later adopted by some neighboring nations through intermarriage and trade. It wasn’t until the Pan-Indian Movement of the 1960s and 1970s that they were adopted by Native Americans of a number of different nations. Some consider the dreamcatcher a symbol of unity among the various Indian Nations, and a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures. However, many other Native Americans have come to see dreamcatchers as over-commercialized, offensively misappropriated and misused by non-Natives.[3][4] (WIKI)

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We do not make Native American Dreamcatchers (and we have never claimed so) as they were made originally with horse hair, strands, stones and weeds. We truly love that spiritual form and are inspired with the same. We understand what it signifies and the meaning it holds to people who believe in its origins. We respect their sentiments and in fact even identify with them at several levels. The natives should be proud of this cultural heritage, because no matter how many craftsmen start weaving Dreamcatchers, their source of cultural heritage cannot be snatched away from them.

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We come from India, which is known wold-wide to offer its rich cultural heritage. When idols of Buddha, Ganesha, Shiva are printed, woven, sold – we know where they came from and love the fact that people know about them and their roots in India. We love that this knowledge and cultural heritage is being spread and appreciated. We are proud that our culture offers a rich legacy, ideas, opportunities for various artists to visualize, create and sell innumerable art forms native to the Indian sub-continent.

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Having said that – we are also offended when Ganesha foot-mats and swimming costumes hit the market. We understand the point the lady is trying to make – But we are NOT them.

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WE are NOT them – we treat out art with respect – we educate our customers on the same. We make sure we pass on the same spiritual significance what a Dreamcatcher must carry and how it should be held high in order. When our customers buy Dreamcatchers from us, they learn a bit of the Native American culture and its puzzling how this can be offensive. The fact that more and more people are taking to Dreamcatchers and learn and understand what it stands for, should be a matter of pride – not offense. If the profits off Dreamcatchers seem offensive, then we can openly admit how modest they are and how they don’t even cut a living.

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We make Dreamcatchers with materials that are accessible to us over the counter. We do not claim that our Dreamcatchers are and possess the same spiritual omen that the Native American Dreamcatchers carried. Our creative sensibilities are not trying to overrule the original meaning and significance of Native American Dreamcatchers, and are certainly not meant to offend any person or a group. We make Dreamcatchers with our own hands beautifying it with craft items, sometimes home-made / hand-made items- we do not mass produce them like factories in Bali or Thailand – this is not our profit center. We are far from insecure about losing or building a business around Dreamcatchers.

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As far as using a strong term like “cultural appropriation” for Dreamcatchers – its not only a super-hyperbole but also a grave accusation. We don’t think we are depriving any Native Americans of their rights of monetizing on their own culture. In fact we encourage and help people understand what this is all about and if they choose to invest in a Native American Dreamcatcher they may choose to do so – as it is we don’t make them.

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Just like any other art form, this takes passion and patience. We never intended to “culturally appropriate” or tweak the original Native American Dreamcatchers or provide a better alternative – NO. We combined the two terms Hozho Dreamcatchers because to us, our Dreamcatchers are meant to provide the same emotions, vibes and energies as the meanings the words carry. We are not demeaning the significance, we are making people aware of the origins – and we don’t see how wrong can this be. We are open for a dialogue that can educate us more on this matter.

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Love & Peace

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::Hozho Dreamcatchers