JUST WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH MY FRIENDS
Chief Miracle Monkey WAS NICE ENOUGH TO SHARE WITH ME AND OTHERS
Dear Members,
Today I wanted to present the Medicine Wheel of the Chippewa Tribe I belong to and what it means.
Our Tribal Flag is based upon the Medicine Wheel, and is one of the symbols upon which we base our lives. Below you will find an explanation on what the medicine wheel symbols of our flag mean to us.
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Animals
Turtle represents to our people the mother earth we stand upon sustaining us with constancy and generosity and is the central aspect of the symbol. Turtle emerged from the water with earth on its back, providing a living place for human beings and all creatures between sky and water. Turtle is the medium of communication, the emissary of beings of this world and time and beings of another world and dimension of time. Turtle symbolizes thought given and thought received and represents celerity of communication, between beings.
Crane represents to our people eloquence of leadership and direction. The voice of the Crane is unique and infrequent. When Crane speaks, all listen. Crane is the spokesperson for the clans.
Eagle received from Kitche Manitou the gifts of strong wings, keen sight and proud bearing. Eagle symbolizes courage and preknowledge. His sphere is the mountains and the heights.
Rabbit represents Wanabozho, a messenger of Kitche Manitou, an intermediary on earth among different species of beings; and an advocate for the Anishnabek, to whom he imparted the gift of knowledge.
Deer received from Kitche Manitou the gift of grace. Deer symbolizes to our people love.
Bear received from Kitche Manitou the gift of courage and strength. Bear is representative of all medicine powers in creation. Claws dig medicine roots. Bear passes knowledge on through dreams, visions.
Mountain Ash Tree
This the sacred tree of the Anishnabek, noted for its medicine value. Its leaves, berries, and bark are used for medicines. The tree is able to survive in places where other trees cannot. The Mountain Ash is used as an example for strength, durability and strong character by the people.
Colors
Red symbolizes earth and fire and represents the southern direction color
Yellow from the east leading to the west is a Yellow Path. It is said by our elders that this is the path of life, the path of the great warrior, the sun. Yellow represents the Eastern Direction.
Black symbolizes the western direction
White symbolizes spirituality and the northern direction.
Aqua-green symbolizes plant life and growing things.
Rainbow is the beautiful bridge to the spirit world and the colors of the universe.
Blue is symbolic of sky and waters.
Four Directions
East the direction of the rising sun, is thought of as a Grandfather personifying the winds and natural phenomena of that direction. East is the direction of the physical body. It symbolizes all that is new in the creation, like newborn creatures, including humans. Like the rising sun, a new day is brought to light. So it is with all things.
Knowledge is brought to conciousness and like the circling of the sun, the seasons change. The East is the time of change. It is the spring, the time of change from blackness to beauty. It is the sun breaking over the horizon. We give thanks to our eastern Grandfather.
South Represented on the flag with the red background, is a continuation of our circle of life is the direction of maturing life, like young men and women. It is the time of year we call summer, the time we call mid-day, the time of day the eagle soars. South is the direction of full understanding. We give thanks to our southern Grandfather.
West the direction of the setting sun is the time of gradual change as from daylight to darkness, from life to death. It is evening, the change of life in midagedness, it is change like the leaves or the hair on our heads from natural color to the likes of autumn frost. The West is the time of full maturity. It is a time of insight. West is the direction of the emotional part of ourselves. We give thanks to our western Grandfather.
North is the time of our elders, our old people. It is a time of wisdom, to much like the answers found in our dreams. It represents the night, as a time called midnight, and a time called winter when things are as unpredictable as our dreams. North is representative as those things that are positive, a time of snow and purity. We give thanks to our northern Grandfather.
Summary
From wherever we stand upon our Earth Mother we have companionship of these four directions. We are cared for by our Earth Mother with her blessings of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. We give thanks to our Earth Mother, the direction below us.
The directions above recognizes the daytime and nighttime skies of our creation. This is where we look to acknowledge the Great Spirit, The Creator. The Creator gives us everything we know, like the Rainbow, a beautiful bridge to the spirit world and colors of the universe. Therefore our greatest acknowledgement is to the Creator of all the universe. We give a grateful thanks. Wabun-anong
