Recent news in Malaysia has mentioned that there is a dream catcher henna ban in Malaysia. Apparently, this idea was banned in the state of Kelantan on June 17, 2017.

News reports have officially stated that Kelantan Mufti (Religious Department) has officially banned henna dream catcher designs in the state.

It is said that Muslim women should be careful when applying henna designs on them, especially the Native American dream catcher.

It is also quoted that the dream catcher symbolizes religious beliefs, which is incorrect. You can read more about the dream catcher history from Wikipedia.

Dream Catcher Henna Ban in Malaysia

We at Green Daun have been researching dream catchers for years, and we conclude that the dream catcher is purely a cultural belief and NOT religious.

The dream catcher was created purely for babies and children by the  Native American Ojibwe tribe in the sixteenth century as a protective charm as they sleep.

Ojibwe history states that the women made dream catchers from natural materials and hung them over the babies crib with the belief that the web will take away the bad dreams and pass on the good dreams to the sleeping baby.

The dream catcher feathers play a role in entertaining the baby when the wind blows; the feathers movements catch the babies eyes.

Over the years, dream catchers have evolved into decorative item. During the Pan-Indian movement from the 60s to the 70s, many others adopted the dreamcatcher, where it gained worldwide popularity.

Nowadays, contemporary dream catchers are created based on popularity by movies and television series and used purely as a decorative item.

Below is the article on the banning of the dream catcher henna tattoo in Malaysia. The article was published in the News Straits Times on 17 June 2017.

Muslim women with an affinity for having henna applied to their hands and feet must be careful in choosing henna designs because some, like the popular “dreamcatcher”, symbolise other religious beliefs.

Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, who announced a ban on the design, said any henna motif which has a similarity to symbols of other religious beliefs should be avoided.

“Muslims must not resemble people of other religions. For example, wearing a cross-shaped pendant,” he said.

Mohamad Shukri said Muslims must abide by the guidelines on the usage of henna, which should be water absorbent, would not invalidate ablution, and is not sourced from unclean material.

In some Native American cultures, the dreamcatcher, a small hoop decorated with feathers and beads, is believed to give its owner good dreams.

At several locations in the federal capital, Bernama observed that many henna tattoo artists offer dreamcatcher designs to their customers.

One henna tattoo fan who wanted to be known only as Mira, 24, said she was surprised when a henna artist at a night market in Shah Alam, Selangor, told her that her stall was visited by officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department, who informed her that dreamcatcher designs are not allowed.

Dream Catchers in Malaysia

Henna Dream Catchers in Malaysia have been a minimal trend for the last couple of years. And since the popularity of the dream catcher from one of the Korean television drama series, more Malaysians have shown interest in this.

Due to the popularity of dream catcher among the local Malaysians probably caught on in other states; hence, the dream catcher henna ban in Malaysia came about. We are not sure if they will enforce this ban throughout the country too.

Update Jan 2020 – We no longer sell dream catchers or materials at Green Daun.

You can usually find these henna artist at craft bazaars or markets around Malaysia. The artist usually charges anywhere from RM5.00 and above per design, depending on the details and size.

Green Daun has been making dream catchers since 2014, and we are the only proper dream catcher shop in Malaysia.

We do not do henna dream catchers, but we hand make dreamcatchers hung in cars, homes or even offices. All our dream catchers are made in our shop here in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.

We have many different designs, colours and sizes available, and we also sell dream catcher accessories like feathers, rings and many other items.

Update Jan 2020 – We no longer sell dream catcher materials.

Conclusion

To have a dream catcher henna ban in Malaysia comes as a shock to people as there is no significant proof that a dream catcher is a religious item. Obviously, the people involved in the ban has no accurate information on this as it is purely plucked from the sky.