Social Functions of Dreams

Other cultural perspectives

Mekeo Theories of Dream Interpretations

       The Mekeo beliefs concerning dreams are varied, and their roles for interpretations are very flexible so that dreams can always be linked to reality. If the dream a person has seems to have no correlation to real life, then they are just not understanding it right. Dreams are concerned with the secret world of the spirits and of personal thoughts and desires; they reveal esoteric knowledge to the dreamer. The sense of self is anchored in the waking life, but there is an awareness of a self that is not physical and is not located in the material world. Dreaming shows that there is more to us than we are consciously aware of. The functions of their dreams can be seen in what aspects of life dream interpretations frequently pertain to. They are usually warnings of death, sickness, or healing; encounters with spirit beings or figures from Christianity; the success or misfortune of plans of action; omens concerning the outcome of rituals; revelation of ritual knowledge , and erotic matters.

       Some dreams literally predict what will happen in the future, others are obscured or veiled. Many dream events are widely accepted as indicating the same thing, for instance, a dream of falling means that there will be sickness or misfortune in the future of the dreamer. Dream interpretations are commonly subjective, or vary depending on if aman or woman dreamt it. Men are thought to use charms to make a woman dream about him. If a woman dreams of a particular suitor it means she will no longer be able to resist him, and to tell people about the dream is the same as accepting him. Men's erotic dreams are thought to be caused by their own use of love charms on desired women or else are considered signs that they will have good luck in an upcoming event, such as gambling or hunting.

Dreams in the Iban culture

       From an ethnography written in 1974, the Iban from Asia believe that dreams can be divided into three categories: dreams that are a direct message from a spirit, dreams that pertain to current events in an individual's life, and dreams that are obviously about daily life and therefore have no significance. Ambiguous dreams are good or bad depending on the reaction they get from the dreamer. The majority of dreams seems to pertain to the individual's life, and is used to predict future events. A flying dream, or one about being chased are auspicious, they mean the dreamer will live a long time. Bad dreams where the dreamer feels embarrassed are inauspicious; the individual may become injured the next day.

       Sometimes dreams are not properly understood until subsequent events have happened that appear to relate back to the dream, and then dreams are regarded as advice on what a course of action should be. The most important dreams occur right before a major undertaking. Leadership is associated with constructive dreaming. Constructive dreams appear relevant in the first place and also lend themselves to easy interpretation. An insightful and discriminating person will know when to follow the advice that spirits give him in dreams. (Jensen 1974)

Other interpretations of men's erotic dreams of women

Beautiful women who come to the dreamer to make love are sickness women. They fill the sleeper with fat and thus make them ill or liable to be attacked by a jaguar or snake. (Tukano, South America)

A man dreaming that his wife is sleeping with other men is evidence that she really is. He will become angry with her, he may or may not punish her depending on whether she admits or denies her guilt. (Tarahumara, northern Mexico)

Dreaming of sexually available women, in general, are omens of bad luck or illness. But some men consider such dreams to be good omens. (Skolt, Lapland)

An individual reported having a dream that his wife slept with another man. In the dream he beat her until she apologized. He interpreted this to mean that his wife was fond of that man, but probably not sleeping with him. (Truk, Oceania)

If a man dreams about having sexual intercourse with a woman, then he will have a love affair. If he recognizes the women in the dream, then he tries to win that woman's affections. The dreams that are most strongly believed to come true are about having sex, eating a bird, marriage, roasting termites, and spearing animals. (Azande, Africa)