Medicine Wheel
The colors chosen for the beadwork and quillwork in this piece may relate to the colors of the Medicine Wheel in Anishinaabe culture and teachings. The Medicine Wheel can be described as a model of human development and balance over the course of a person’s life, represented by a circle shape divided into four colored sections (Abram 2013).
The beadwork on the pouch incorporates the colors black, red, and yellow, which have particular meanings associated with them in the Medicine Wheel. Taking these ideas into account, the colors used in this piece could potentially represent the seasons of Autumn, Summer, and Spring or values such as kindness, discipline, or honesty (Williams 2009, 444). Follow this link for a more detailed description of the Medicine Wheel and its significance.