The Medicine Wheel at the SVBG     The Medicine Wheel Herb Garden is located at the Southern Virginia Botanical Garden to celebrate the heritage of Native Americans. Medicine Wheels have become a major symbol of peaceful interaction among all living beings on Mother Earth representing harmonious connections. It is symbolized by a cross within a circle and is a ceremonial tool used for teaching and spiritual healing. Traditional Native American cultures view life as a continuous cycle, life mirrors the cycling of the seasons, the daily rising of the sun, and the phases of the moon.     The four segments represent the spirtual meanings of the four cardinal directions along with their representative spirit animals and sacred plants. The ceremonial use of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar are represented.     The Medicine Wheel is from the culture of the northern plains tribes. See full map here. Harvest Girl, the last of the cedar carvings, was set in place December 23, 2012. This June 21st (summer solstice) photo shows her standing in front of the 3 Sisters Garden. How Native Americans Kept Track of Time    Lines added to the Medicine Wheel's paths represent the Creator pole shadow during the year. The Native Americans could tell time by the sun's position in the sky, by watching stars rise and fall, or by knowing when the bears wake from hibernation. Some named the lunar cycles after what was happening at the time. For instance, one tribe named one lunar cycle "laying geese" and another cycle "coming caribou". For many Native American nations, the year was counted by the number of full moons that had passed.     It has been speculated that the mysterious placement of rocks in the original 10,000 year old Medicine Wheels could have been to mark the lunar cycles and the solar cycle. Knowing where a shadow will be at the same time every year could have also marked the exact time of a significant event. Looking at the image above on the right, all the area between the two curved lines represent where the pole shadow would fall throughout the year. The top line, winter soltice, is the beginning of winter which is generally December 21 or 22, the shortest day of the year, and the day of the longest shadow. Some Indian tribes celebrate this day as the beginning of another cycle - a rebirth.    "American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs." Ref.: American Indian Moons    Here are the names the SIOUX gave to them: January MOON OF STRONG COLD/FROST IN THE TEEPEE February BONE MOON (so little food, people gnaw on bones and eat bone marrow soup) March MOON WHEN BUFFALO COWS DROP THEIR CALVES April MOON OF GREENING GRASS May MOON WHEN THE PONIES SHED June MOON OF MAKING FAT July MOON WHEN THE WILD CHERRIES ARE RIPE August MOON WHEN THE GEESE SHED THEIR FEATHERS September MOON WHEN CALVES GROW HAIR October MOON OF FALLING LEAVES November MOON OF CHANGING SEASONS December MOON WHEN DEER SHED THEIR HORNS Early Photos Eagle Has Landed - Spirit animal of the East - and the White Buffalo - Spirit animal of the North Coyote - Spirit animal of the South & Bear - Spirit animal of the West in their new home.     Harvest Girl is the last of the cedar carvings. Petroglyph Stepping Stones Interpretive Panels Tribal Culture Areas Medicine Wheel Description Power of Four Why an Herb Garden? East Panel South Panel West Panel North Panel Photos Satellite view Outline Eagle Weather Vane Creator Pole Cairn Rocks Cree Medicine Wheel My Wheel @ Possum Hollow Eagle Spirit Carving - Wabun Buffalo Spirit Carving - Waboose Bear Spirit Carving - Mudjekeewis Coyote Spirit Carving - Shawnodese Resource Web sites: Black Elk - The Great Circle Black Elk - Understanding World Peace Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society Native American History & Culture THE MEDICINE WHEEL by Dee Finney Sweet Thunder Medicine Wheel Teachings in the 21st Century Introductory Note to The Song of Hiawatha The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The Sacredness of Sage Lakota: The Four Directions Building a Dry-Stack Stone Retaining Wall Table Rock Quarries Far from forming a single ethnic group, Native Americans were divided into several hundred cultural and language groups. Click on map for larger image Last update - February 24, 2014. For more information contact Dan Shaw.