The Medicine Wheel is made of small stones placed on the ground in the pattern of a wheel with for spokes. In the Centre is placed the drum, which is the heart beat of Mother Earth. The centre of the circle represents the Sky and the Earth, where the Great Spirit lives.
The Great Spirit, known by different names to many Indian Nations, is the Creator of the World. Native people knew the Great spirit as a loving and powerful God long before the white settlers arrived.
Each of the stones in the Medicine Wheel stand for one of the things found in nature; animals, trees, family members, and other nations. Everything within the wheel has the same value, living happily with each other.
The different direction of the Medicine Wheel represents important things:
- To the North is found Wisdom; the colour of wisdom is White, and it´s medicine animal is the Buffalo.
- The South is represented by the Mouse and it´s colour is Red. In the south we find Innocence and trust.
- The Bear is the sign of the West, which is the “looks-within” place. The colour is Black.
- In the East is the Eagle and the colour is the Gold of the morning star. There we find Illumination, a place where we can see clearly and far wide.