- Published: January 1, 2022
- Updated: January 1, 2022
- Level: Intermediate School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 35
The Medicine Wheel There are four seasons, four grandfathers, or four cardinal directions among the Ojibway. Bentai-Banai is of the opinion that the Ojibway people have four symbolic colors including red, white, black, and yellow. Yellow is East, South is red, West is black, and North is white (Bentai-Banai 78-80). The wheel is divided into four quadrants based on the four cardinal directions. The medicine wheel is an interconnection of all the things in life. The medicine wheel uses all the four cardinal directions symbolically. The Anishinabe people have a saying that what the people believe is true. Each tribe has its own medicine wheel. The Ojibway believe that their medicine wheel offers them direction in life. In the same way, the wheel of medicine is a life-cycle that represents the natural cycles of life from delivery, to growth, to demise, and even regeneration. The wheel of medicine not only includes the Ojibway people, but also the nations of the earth. The four cycles are viewed in a clockwise manner. North is at the top, East to the right, South at the bottom, and West on the left of the viewer. Even though the wheel has neither the beginning nor the end, it is crucial to enter the wheel from the South and proceed in a clockwise direction. At the centre is the Creator and is also the Medicine Wheel itself. We begin from the East because it is where life starts and everything starts to come alive from people, vegetation, and seasons among others. The medicine wheel comprises of the following (Lawson, McDowell and Thomson 56-57):
The 4 colors of the Medicine Wheel:
East – Yellow (Zaawaa)
South – Red (Miskwaa)
West – Black (Mkade)
North – White (Waabishkaa)
The 4 races of man:
East – Asian
South – Ojibway
West – African descent
North – White people
The four natures of human beings:
East – Bodily
South – Psychological
West – Intellectual
North – Divine
The 4 stages of human development:
East – Early days
South – Teenage years
West – Fully developed
North – Old age
The 4 phases of health:
East – Physical
South – Social
West – Intellectual
North – Spiritual
The 4 grandmothers-/fathers:
East – Start
South – Going along
West – Getting settled
North – Going home
The 4 climatic conditions:
East – Spring
South – Summer
West – Autumn
North – Winter
The 4 times of the day:
East – Morning
South – Noon
West – Sundown
North – Darkness
The 4 basic elements of life:
East – Water
South – Airstream
West – Ground
North – Inferno
The 4 sacred animals:
East – Eagle
South – Deer
West – Buffalo
North – Bear
The 4 sacred plants:
East – Tobacco; the plant is utilized for prayer and rituals, life renewal, and as medicine.
South – Cedar; it can be used to give courage, purify, develop, and to show feelings.
West – Sage; it cleans the air, its smoke can also be utilized to cleanse one from spirits, help one to observe, feel, and taste things effectively. Besides, the tea made from sage is beneficial for the throat. Sage can also be used to provide direction when one dies.
North – Sweetgrass; it invites in good. It is the first plant to grow on Earth. The smoke from the sweetgrass provided protection and takes away hunger.
In summary, the Medicine Wheel helps one to live a noble, moral, intuitive and spiritual life.
Work Cited
Benton-Banai, Edward. The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway, Hayward, WI: Indian Country Communications, Inc., 2010. Print.
Lawson, Jennifer, Linda McDowell and Barbara Thomson. Manitoba: Past and Present. Manitoba: Portage & Main Press, 2004.