Medicine wheels
A medicine wheel is a sacred stone circle used as a powerful teaching tool by various Indigenous American tribes, often referred to as a Sacred Hoop. It symbolizes the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all beings. Many medicine wheels, constructed from stones, can still be found today, with notable examples like the one in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. This particular wheel, 80 feet in diameter, features twenty-nine spokes and holds significance for tribes such as the Crow, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota. It is aligned with celestial events, including the sunrise on the summer solstice and the rising of the star Arcturus at the spring equinox. Efforts by Indigenous tribes have successfully preserved the spiritual integrity of these sites, leading to the establishment of the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark, which is jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service and local tribes. This landmark acknowledges the ongoing cultural and spiritual importance of the medicine wheel while allowing limited public access.
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Medicine wheels
- TRIBES AFFECTED: Pantribal
- SIGNIFICANCE: A medicine wheel is a circle of iconic stones used as a teaching tool
The medicine wheel is a sacred, powerful teaching circle. It is sometimes referred to as a Sacred Hoop. The medicine wheel holds great spiritual significance to many Indigenous American tribes. It represents the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all things in the world. There were numerous medicine wheels composed of stones laid out by Indigenous North Americans, some of which are still extant. The most famous, found in the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming, was used by a number of different tribes, including Crow, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota. It is a circle 80 feet in diameter with twenty-nine spokes of numerous limestone slabs, with three small outer circles, two outer vessel shapes, and one inner vessel shape, all placed at about 8,700 feet in altitude on Medicine Mountain. One of the spokes points to the place on the horizon where the sun rises at summer solstice. Another spoke points to Arcturus rising at the spring equinox. At one time, the Department of the Interior wished to turn this site into a tourist attraction, with a visitor center, picnic area, and campground. Indigenous Americans petitioned the government to declare twelve days on both sides of equinoxes and solstices limited to tribal use of the site. The tribes also wanted the protected area around the medicine wheel enlarged so that the habitat within three miles of the wheel was undisturbed. Their efforts were successful, and in the twenty-first century, the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark is managed jointly by the United States Forest Service and local Indigenous American tribes. Although the public was offered limited access, efforts were made to recognize the landmark's continued spiritual and cultural significance.
Bibliography
Chapman, Fred. "Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain: Celebrated and Controversial Landmark." WyoHistory.org, 10 Apr. 2019, www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/medicine-wheel. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.
"The Medicine Wheel." US National Park Service, www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-medicine-wheel.htm. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.
"The Medicine Wheel / Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark." USDA Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/bighorn/home/?cid=fseprd521511. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.