The Medicine Wheel, Sacred Circle of Life (ritual, Earth, tradition)

[painted wolf]

exactly... 'true' old medicine wheels were made by nations that would never had met a Dolphin...

Now if you were talking about a spiritual practice more tied with a coastal nation... Northwest Coast, Alaskan and North East coastal tribes held whales to be very sacred. But they didn't do the Medicine wheel thing either... they had thier own traditions.

The pan-indian movement is natrually making the medicine wheel a universal thing, but when you get into what it means and tradition you need to remember that this is a Plains Nations tradition... Alberta and Saskatchawan Canada and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana USA specifically.

They are also all built differently, most likely they had specific medicine tied into thier construction. Special meaning in the arrangement of spokes and hubs and wheels.
They certenly wern't all the pretty perfect ring of stones you see in most publications. Numbers of stones and patterns varied quite a lot.

This is why I'm always leery of any written list that clames to tell you the meaning of a First Nations spiritual idea... You cant do that with our religion...it doesn't work.
You only end up with something not quite right, hollow, our faith is too alive to be written down and made into still words on paper.

wa:do

[EnhancedSpirit]

I know the medicine wheel was originally made to act as an alter of sorts. They would make a wheel on the morning prior to a big ceremony, including *funerals and *weddings. It was to invite all the totom spirits to bless the camp. They where not ususally big enough to walk on, they were only about 2 feet across. And everytime a rock is collected for the circle, some tobacco was left in it's place to honor the earth.

I am going to look into the dolphin and whale thing. I grew up in Oklahoma, and know quite a lot about my Indian heritage. Did the Lakota people start the medicine wheel? I thought it was the Cherokee, and they came from the Mississippi Valley, dolphins and whales could have been spotted in the Gulf. Seminoles would have definitely known about dolphins. And what about the Indians that met the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, I went on a whale watching boat in Boston, so I know the Indians knew what whales there.

This is why I'm always leery of any written list that clames to tell you the meaning of a First Nations spiritual idea... You cant do that with our religion...it doesn't work.
You only end up with something not quite right, hollow, our faith is too alive to be written down and made into still words on paper.

I do understand where you are coming from, LW, it's not just about Indian stories for you, it is something more sacred. Your dedication to the Indian Nations makes me a shameful Indian. Maybe, I should go back to my roots. I have yet found a religion that fits me, maybe it's because my roots lie with the 1st Nation, and not the white man's religions. I will meditate on it.

[kreeden]

Originally Posted by EnhancedSpirit

it's not just about Indian stories for you, it is something more sacred.

ES , I am not of the First Nations . As far as I know , I don't have a drop of First Nation Blood in me . Nor do I wish to be anything that I am not . But I feel that I am as close to the Land , as any First Nation Person , and their storys are more then storys for me also . Although I don't understand all that is said in them , what I do relate to is beautiful , and a wonderful connection to Nature , the Land , and the Human Experience . What I'm trying to say here is that I don't think one has to be anything but what they are to share that experience , to feel the Sacredness , at lest to some degree . I could be wrong ? But when I think of Bear , I don't think of some Koala thingie .

What I'm trying to say is that my roots lie with the Land , not the Nations , but I respect their traditions , try to learn from them , respect them , and try to leave them as untouched as possible , as they are of the Land that I know . White , Black , Brown , Red , what does Bear care about colour ? He wears them all .

[painted wolf]

NO the Cherokee never had the large stone circle Medicine wheels... We had our own traditions.

They were created by Northern Plains nations (such as the Lakota for example) starting around 7000 years ago.

YES natives who lived on the coast knew and respected Whales and Dolphins... Natives who lived in South Dakota never heard of them! So saying that the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in South Dakota had a stone representing the Dolphin is frankly, highly suspect from a traditional point of view.

Kreeden: Thank you for that.. white, red, yellow, brown and black we are all conneted. A spiritual connection to the land isn't just for First Nations people its encouraging that others are finding that connection in increasing numbers.

Enhanced Spirit: You are not a shameful Indian... you are a person who like all of us is trying to find thier way down thier own path. You are not required by blood or geneology to follow the Traditional Native ways... you are required to follow your heart.

First Nations religion isn't only for people born to it... we arn't an exclusive club. However we do demand respect for the cultures and traditions on wich our religions are founded. You can't just wear a Feather and call yourself an Indian any more than you can a cross and call yourself a Christian.

wa:do

[EnhancedSpirit]

Originally Posted by painted wolf

First Nations religion isn't only for people born to it... we arn't an exclusive club. However we do demand respect for the cultures and traditions on wich our religions are founded. You can't just wear a Feather and call yourself an Indian any more than you can a cross and call yourself a Christian.

wa:do

Amen to that brother, frubals to you. I am both Choctaw and Cherokee, and sometimes get the traditions of the two mixed up.

An Elder once told Ms Thunderbird that there was no wrong way to build a Medicine Wheel; that the grains of sand on a beach would never equal the number of teachings contained within the mysteries of the Medicine Wheel. After years of studying and researching these teachings, Ms Thunderbird has come to discover that he was right!
Heya Ho.

Cherokee Medicine Wheel:
East - red - The Sun land - success - triumph - power.
South - white - Wa'hala (a mountain) - peace - health - happiness - other blessings.
West - black - The Darkening Land - death.
North - brown - propitious.
Below - green - The earth - rebirth - renewal.
Underworld - yellow - about the same as blue.
Apache Medicine Wheel:
Southeast - turquois blue - blue hoop - golden eagle - lifting off fear of retribution.
Southwest - black - black hoop - black bear - lifting off fear of death.
Northwest - yellow - yellow hoop - mountain lion - lifting off fear of not knowing.
Northeast - white - white hoop - fox - lifting off fear of being impure.
Western Siuox Medicine Wheel:
East - yellow stone - golden eagle - thanksgiving - wisdom - understanding.
South - white - white stone - white crane - rebirth - source of renewed life & destiny.
West - black - black stone - black eagle - renewal - purifying water and thunder.
North - red - red stone - bald eagle - procreation - health & control.
Above - blue - Above Beings.
Below - green - Earth Mother.
Cheyenne Medicine Wheel:
Southeast - white - golden eagle - sun power - spring - life - light - illumination - renewal.
Southwest - red - mouse - summer - innocence - growth - weather - & Thunder.
Northwest - yellow - brown bear - fall - introspection - perfection - beauty & harvest.
Northeast - black - buffalo - winter - wisdom - death - disease - numbness.
Hopi Medicine Wheel:
Southeast - red - red corn - ancestors providing.
Southwest - blue or green - blue-green corn - youth & courtship.
Northwest - yellow - yellow corn - mature adult - illumination.
Northeast - white - white corn - protective medicine to insure long & venerable life.
---Thomas E. Mails in dialogue with Fools, Crow, Sioux Holy Man.
Cree Medicine Wheel: Some Cree people say the beginning is the East with yellow for the morning sun. South is red for the full day sun. West is black or dark blue for the beginning of night. North is white for the snow, white haired wisdom elders and white clothed animals.

[kreeden]

Fools Crow . I have always loved the symbolism in that name .

But Mails himself admits to be trying to draw a connection between Christianity and Fools Crow's beliefs ..


I didn't mean to leave yellow out of the races PW , but yellow bears are less common then yellow people . And what I said there is simply how I feel .

[painted wolf]

again you have to remember that there are two types of Mecdicine wheel... the one made of stone, made by the Northern Planes peoples http://www.crystalinks.com/bighornwheel.jpg
and the symbol... the circle with the four directions marked out... which is more pan-indian.
http://www.sacredpath.org/image/native/medwheel.gif

Kreeden: I didn't mean to imply you forgot anyone.. I was agreeing with you
Yellow Bears are quite rare... but very beautiful... the Kermode spirit bears are definatly unique. They seem to come in every color possible, like people.
http://www.ronthiele.com/kermode/8.htm

wa:do