What is Medicine Circle?
A Medicine Circle—also known as the Medicine Wheel, Sacred Hoop, or Sacred Circle—is a fundamental symbol and ceremonial framework used by Indigenous peoples across North America, particularly among Plains nations. The medicine wheel is a tool used by Indigenous peoples in North America for generations as a symbol for health and healing, usually represented as a circle divided into quadrants. The Indigenous medicine wheel represents the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realities.
The circular form carries profound meaning: the circular shape of the wheel represents how everything in life and in the universe is connected and how people can use this knowledge to find balance that leads to good health. The number four has great significance in most Indigenous cultures. Each of the four quadrants corresponds to a cardinal direction (east, south, west, north) and is associated with specific colors, animal guides, elements, seasons, life stages, and teachings—though these associations vary significantly among different tribal nations.
Origins & Lineage
Physical medicine wheels constructed from stone are among North America’s most ancient Indigenous sacred sites. Traditional medicine wheels (sacred circles) were often depicted using stones set out in the form of a wheel and included at least two of the following three traits: (1) a central stone cairn, (2) one or more concentric stone circles, and/or (3) two or more stone lines radiating outward from a central point. The Medicine Wheel is a roughly circular pattern of stones about 82 feet in diameter surrounding a central stone cairn about 12 feet in diameter, with 28 radial lines extending to a peripheral circle.
The Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming is thought to be over 300 years old. The Ellis Medicine Wheel, built by the Blackfoot, has been radiocarbon dated to about 1400 AD. The Royal Alberta Museum holds that the term “medicine wheel” was first applied to the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming.
Because Native Americans left no written records, little is known about the original purpose or meaning of medicine wheels. The medicine wheels at Bighorn and Moose Mountain had 28 spokes, the number of days in a lunar month, suggesting that they may have been used as a calendar or solar observatory. The Medicine Wheel is a major Native American sacred complex and archaeological property used by many different tribes from times before Euro-American contact to the present day.
For the Lakota and other Sioux nations, the concept is called Cangleska Wakan, meaning Sacred Circle or Hoop. The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol used by the indigenous Plains tribes to represent all knowledge of the universe. The circle of the Medicine Wheel represents the sacred outer boundary of the Earth, often called the Sun Dance Circle or the Sacred Hoop.
How Medicine Circle is Practiced
Medicine Circle ceremonies involve both physical movement and spiritual orientation. During a medicine wheel ceremony, movements are made in a circular motion in harmony with the wheel, usually performed in what is considered a “sun-wise,” or clockwise, direction that represents the motion of the forces of nature. Movement in the Medicine Wheel and in Native American ceremonies is circular, and typically in a clockwise direction to align with the forces of Nature.
The Medicine Circle functions as a teaching tool, healing framework, and ceremonial guide. The four sections of the wheel are used to teach the importance of topics like the seasons, directions, elements, colors, sacred medicines, and much more. In Indigenous communities, the Medicine Wheel is crucial for spiritual and healing practices, guiding ceremonies and rituals to restore balance, with traditional healers using it alongside ceremonial plants and spiritual energies from each direction.
An imbalance in the medicine wheel is seen as indicating disease or poor health, and the wheel can show areas that need aligning to regain the balance necessary for good health. The four quadrants represent interdependent aspects of being—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—that must remain in balance.
There is no common expression for the color placement on the medicine wheel; color placement varies based on individual tribal customs. Different nations have distinct associations for directions, colors, and meanings, making it essential to understand that medicine circle teachings are culture-specific rather than universal.
Medicine Circle Today
Contemporary seekers encounter medicine circle teachings through Indigenous-led workshops, healing circles, and ceremonial gatherings. Contemporary healthcare and research increasingly recognize the importance of incorporating Indigenous perspectives, with the Medicine Wheel offering valuable insights into holistic health and wellness. Many retreat centers and Indigenous cultural organizations offer respectful introductions to medicine wheel teachings, always emphasizing tribal-specific interpretations.
The symbol appears in Indigenous art, educational materials, and as a framework for contemporary wellness programs in Native communities. Some therapists and educators trained by Indigenous knowledge keepers incorporate medicine circle principles into holistic healing work, though this remains a sensitive area regarding cultural appropriation.
Physical medicine wheels remain active sacred sites. Visitors to sites like the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming can access these spaces with proper protocols, though many are protected and access is regulated to honor their sacred status.
Common Misconceptions
The Medicine Circle is not a generic “Native American spirituality” symbol that can be freely adopted. Different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel differently. Color associations, directional meanings, and ceremonial uses are nation-specific; what is true for Lakota tradition may differ significantly from Blackfoot or Anishinaabe teachings.
The Medicine Circle is not merely a decorative symbol or wellness metaphor. It represents complex cosmological, astronomical, and spiritual knowledge systems developed over centuries. Using medicine circle imagery without proper cultural context or permission can constitute appropriation of Indigenous intellectual and spiritual property.
The term “medicine” in this context does not mean Western pharmaceutical medicine. The Native American conception of health is associated with places, religion/philosophy, specific actions, objects and animals, with the individual placed in relationship to all of these things. Medicine refers to sacred power, spiritual practice, and the forces that maintain balance and wellness.
How to Begin
Those outside Indigenous communities seeking to understand medicine circle teachings should begin by learning from authorized sources. Read accounts by Indigenous authors like Joseph M. Marshall III (Lakota), whose works explore Lakota philosophy, or Basil Johnston (Anishinaabe), who writes about Ojibwe cosmology.
Attend public educational programs offered by Indigenous cultural centers, museums like the Aktá Lakota Museum in South Dakota, or tribal heritage sites. Many nations offer cultural workshops that respectfully introduce non-Native people to their teachings.
If you are Indigenous, seek elders and knowledge keepers within your own nation who can teach you your people’s specific medicine circle traditions. These teachings are most properly transmitted through direct mentorship within cultural context.
Approach medicine circle teachings with humility, recognizing that some knowledge is meant only for those within specific communities. Support Indigenous-led cultural preservation efforts and respect protocols around sacred sites and ceremonies.