The Native American Medicine Wheel Symbol


The Native American medicine wheel, also called a sacred circle, comes in many forms and with many meanings. Its origins are not precisely known, but many similar rock formations created and used by Native Americans have been identified and preserved throughout the western United States and Canada. The term medicine wheel is derived from the location of the most widely known structure, the Big Horn wheel in the Medicine Mountains of Wyoming. It is located in one of the oldest geological sites known to man – but constructed fairly recently.

Unfortunately, there are very few remnants of Native American healing arts and left from the indigenous peoples of eastern North America. What can be inferred is that the eastern native tribes likely had a similar approach to health care and healing ailments of the human being that the western tribes had.

The pattern of the wheel is consistent across all known examples. A large circle with several points or spokes radiating from a central location. The original purpose of these structures is unknown, but most likely was astronomical in nature, as studies of the Big Horn wheel and others, show very precise alignments with the movement of celestial bodies. What is also known is that the wheels were central in tribal ceremonies involving spiritual beliefs as well as ceremonies conducted by the tribal shaman, or medicine man, for the purpose of healing.

There are typically four quadrants to the wheel, which can represent many things depending on the culture and source identified. Most common themes are some variation of the concepts of well being, with each quadrant representing the physical, emotional, mental or spiritual aspects of life. Also, some cultures identify the quadrants as representing the different phases of the moon and identify trends in nature and in themselves as the seasons change. This symbol transcends cultures and can be used as a teaching tool in a great variety of subjects. I use it to teach my patients about healthy living.

Knowledge of Native American healing arts and their use of indigenous herbal medicines have been mostly lost due to the cultural expansion in North America over the past 500 years. What is known is that the philosophy of Native Americans mirrors that of Asian healing arts rather than western, or European healing arts. Where modern ‘western’ healing arts are founded on the basics of strict cause and effect – Native American and Asian healing arts are based on the principle of homeostasis – or balance and deviation from balanced states. Health = Balance. Illness = Imbalance. The wheel represents this balance, and this is the reason I have chosen this to be the symbol of my practice, as it closely mirrors the philosophy of health care that I follow.

Andy Tscheppe