Medicine Wheel Project
Medicine Wheels are used in many Native American cultures to tell the story of a person through the use of totems and pictographs. Pictographs are symbols that represent activities and words rather than sounds and letters and look similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Medicine wheels tell a life story in four stages: infancy, youth, adulthood and old age. They are divided into three parts. The center part has the totem, or animal symbol drawn in four different life stages (infancy, youth, adult, old age). The middle ring tells the story of a person's life using pictographs. The outside ring is a decorative border.
A. Totem Animal
You will choose a totem animal from the list that will represent you in some way on your medicine wheel. You will draw the animal (as described below) in four life stages: infancy, youth, adulthood and old age
B. Inside Circle
You will divide the inner circle of your medicine wheel into four equal sections. The dividing lines must be objects that also have meaning for you. (For example, arrows if you like to hunt, tree branches or snakes if you love nature, cutlery if you like to cook, etc.) In the Top Left side draw your totem animal in it’s infancy, in the Top Right side draw the animal in it’s youth, on the Bottom Left draw the animal in it’s adulthood, and in the Top Left draw the animal in it’s old age. Make sure that the inner circle has backgrounds drawn for your animals (sunrise, sunset, mountains, rocks, trees, clouds, rainbows, etc.)
C. Inside Border
On the inside border of your medicine wheel, you will look at the Pictograph packet and find at least 4 symbols to tell the story of your life in the 4 different stages (infancy, youth, adulthood, old age). As you are in your youth, you will put things that you want or hope will happen in your future in the adulthood and old age stages. Remember that the pictographs just represent situations and are not meant to make clear sentences.
D. Outside Border
Drawn about an inch on the inside of the outermost border of your medicine wheel, you will create the decorative border. This will be designed, colored and drawn with the symbols, signs, designs, colors and patters of your choice.
E. Coloring
Your coloring should be superior and use blending and shading. NO PAPER BAG SHOULD BE VISIBLE on the medicine wheel.
TOTEM ANIMAL IDEAS
Eagle Porcupine Blue Jay
Bear Razorback Tortoise
Ram Goose Cardinal
Elk Weasel Sea Lion
Beaver Pheasant Seal
Deer Dove Blackbird
Turkey Duck Otter
Vulture Coyote Crow
Cougar Salmon Mountain Goat
Black Bear Rainbow Trout Finch
Hawk Wolverine Chipmunk
Wolf Bat Falcon
Bob Cat Raccoon Squirrel
Seagull Robin Prairie Dog
Mouse Woodpecker Gopher
Mole Skunk Wild Boar
Grizzly Bear Magpie Loon
Dolphin Huskie Swan
Moose Mountain Lion Walrus
Whale Quail Rabbit
Bison Woodchuck Muskrat
Buffalo Fox Owl
Canadian Goose Hummingbird Badger
DIVIDER OBJECT SUGGESTIONS
Logs Snakes Hatchets
Seaweed Arrows Knives
Carrots Bows Cattails
Feathers Lizards Leaves