Rama resident, with community support, built a 30 meter wide and 18 meter high dream catcher that could receive Guinness World Record status in just a few weeks
A huge new dream catcher – said to be the largest in the world – is now protecting the John Snake Memorial Multipurpose Grounds on Rama First Nation.
Bob Williams, 60, has been making dreamcatchers since the 1990s. When he learned that the Guinness World Record for largest dreamcatcher was held by Lithuania, he was inspired to bring the record to his homeland.
“When I saw a photo of that in Europe, I said, ‘That’s not right,'” he explained. “It’s not a dream catcher because a traditional dream catcher has feathers and that one doesn’t.”
In May 2023, while working with a group of 1960s Scoop survivor breeders, Williams was encouraged to realize his dream of setting a new world record.
He began harvesting wood and several community members helped him form the structure. He said local businesses, the community church and the Chippewas of the Rama First Nation have come on board to help him accumulate the necessary supplies.
Originally, Williams had hoped to hang the dreamcatcher from a tree, but was then approached by Chief Ted Williams and the Rama Chippewas First Nation council, who offered to install a metal stand at the pow-wow site.
Supportive community member Kathy Manners is helping finalize Williams’ Guinness World Record submission this week.
The size of Lithuania’s current record-holding dream catcher is 10.1 meters wide. Williams’ dreamcatcher is over 30 meters wide and over 18 meters (60 feet) tall. It is estimated to weigh 2,000 pounds. It is made of sinew, willow, ash and rope.
“There are 3,000 to 5,000 feet of tendon that hold everything together,” Williams said. “There’s also probably 7,000 feet of rope.”
In 12 weeks, Guinness World Records will officially recognize Williams’ submission if it is deemed successful.
Williams notes that his dream catcher is not yet complete; he is working to make it perfectly round and should be fully completed within two weeks.
He says he never would have made it without the help of his sister and the community.
“It takes about 30 people just to move this circle,” he said. “It takes a lot of people to move 2,000 pounds. That’s a lot of weight.”
Williams hopes the dreamcatcher will remain at the pow-wow location as long as it can be maintained.
“We did a smudging ceremony for it,” he explained. “There’s an eagle feather on top and the feathers on the bottom are 15 feet long.”
Williams says the dream catcher is for people of all cultures, religions and ethnicities to enjoy.
“Dream catchers are very spiritual to certain cultures,” he said. “There are different cultures that view dreamcatchers differently than we do, so this will be very powerful for a lot of people.”
Williams says dream catchers eliminate evil spirits and nightmares.
“They provide powerful energy,” he said. “I’ve seen it work.”
Williams believes his record-breaking dreamcatcher will help keep the Rama First Nation community safe.
