The Importance of Medicine Wheels in Indigenous Culture
The Importance of Medicine Wheels in Indigenous Culture
Alberta has multiple Medicine Wheels that remain as major sites of cultural significance to the Blackfoot Nations. These sites include the Many Spotted Horses Medicine Wheel, the Sundial Medicine Wheel, and the Majorville Medicine Wheel. Medicine Wheels are identified by a cairn of rocks with spokes branching out in all directions. They can resemble a wheel, but this shape is not as much of a requirement as the name would suggest. Other layouts such as effigies, stone circles/tipi rings, vision quests, stone cairns, and other stone alignments may also be classified as Medicine Wheels. Many of these structures have a central cairn, often surrounded by one or two rings.
There are many Medicine Wheels that are available to visit in Southern Alberta. Sundial is located near Carmangay, about an hour north of Lethbridge. It is situated on a hill, with a central cairn and two surrounding circles with entrance markings. Suffield Tipi Rings are found near Cypress County, located on hills overlooking the South Saskatchewan River in the Albertan side of the park. This site encompasses 14 sets of archaeological remains. Perhaps the most renowned Medicine Wheel, however, is the Majorville Medicine Wheel and cairn located near Bassano. This structure consists of a central cairn, linked to a surrounding stone circle by 28 spokes. The last Medicine Wheel in Southern Alberta is named Many Spotted Horses, located on the northeastern part of the Blood Reserve.
It is believed that when a great chief died, a lodge was placed over him. When the lodge was thrown down by the wind, the body of the deceased was laid upon the ground with a cairn of stones placed over it. This process is the reason we see so many stone structures today, and even is believed to be the story behind the Many Spotted Horses Medicine Wheel. With their ties to the land, traditions, and past chiefs, Medicine Wheels are often used for ceremonial purposes. As a result, offerings can be found scattered throughout the area.
In addition to Medicine Wheels, there are stone figures shaped like animals or humans, as well as structures that make up a larger formation. There are several located in Southern Alberta, including Napi or Old Man effigies. Tipi rings—circles of stone used to hold down the edges of the lodges—can also be found, as there are still thousands scattered throughout the prairies. A tipi ring's size indicates its age and exact purpose. If there are two rings, it was used during the winter, with the second ring indicating the location of a fire pit. The typical Blackfoot tipi ring had a doorway facing east, marked by a break in the circle. If a tipi did not have a break, it was usually a death lodge, meaning someone had died inside and the lodge was closed and sewn shut. Many tipi ring sites have been dismantled by settlers, either by scattering or piling the rocks. For the Blackfoot, the tipi rings are markings and stories left behind by the ancestors.
These sacred sites are still significant to the Blackfoot today. Many remain as locations for ceremonies, sites for vision quests, or gathering places to offer prayers. Some of the sites, however, are unprotected and consequently threatened by development. But the importance of Medicine Wheels must not be overlooked, and we must continuously work to protect and preserve them.
To keep learning more about the rich Indigenous culture that helps make the melting pot of Lethbridge so unique, keep reading more on our Indigenous Lethbridge page!