Dreamers & The Land | DREAMERS
Nááchę (Dreamers) are Dane-zaa people who travel to Heaven in their dreams and bring back songs. The songs provide teachings, visions, and prophecies from the creator. The Dreamers share these songs with our people to guide us through our life on earth. Most of our Dreamers gained their abilities only after dying and coming back to life; like the swans, Dreamers can fly to heaven and return to earth.
Our Dreamers are sometimes referred to in English as Prophets, because of their ability to see into the future and predict events yet to come. In their dreams, our Prophets see the ways in which our people should behave to one another and towards the game animals that we depend on.
Our Dreamers often draw maps of their dream-journeys on moose hide and on their drum skins. Through these drawings, and their songs, they share these messages with our people. Dreamers' songs are an essential part of our Dreamers' Dance, a ceremonial gathering where we dance in order to renew the cycles of the world.
Our first Dreamer was Makénúúnatane, whose dreams predicted the coming of Europeans. We still sing his songs today. Many other Dreamers followed Makénúúnatane. The most recent was Charlie Yahey, who died in 1976.
Stories
Tommy Attachie, telling about Dane-zaa Dreamers and the Tea Dance. Doig River Museum, 2005.
Tommy Attachie talks about growing up in the Hanás̱ Saahgéʔ (Doig River) area and about learning how to drum and sing the Dreamers' songs. Doig River First Nation Museum, 2005.
We have songs and teachings from nineteen Dane-zaa Dreamers. We still sing their songs and tell their stories today. Roll over the sections of the Dreamers Circle above to learn more about our Dreamers and listen to their songs.