Medicine Wheel & Interpretive Garden Project 2004

The Medicine Wheel & Interpretive Garden was conceived as a garden of native plants that were used extensively by the aboriginal community for a variety of purposes.

The garden was designed in the shape of a medicine wheel, a circle divided into four sections. Many aboriginal groups regard both the shape and number of sections used in a medicine wheel, sacred. The significance of the circle has long been expressed in ritual practice and in artistic traditions. All living beings are related and the strength of that circle nourishes life.

There are well over a thousand plants that have been identified as used traditionally by indigenous aboriginal groups in the Banff region. Four of these plants were selected for this garden. They are considered to be the “Four Sacred Plants”– Tobacco, Red Cedar, Sweet Grass, and Sage.

Tobacco: Tobacco represents the eastern direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is used in both religious and medicinal ceremonies and is offered to the Creator and the Sacred Fire. Prior to European contact, tobacco was considered to be one of the most important plants in the religious lives of indigenous cultures. Tobacco was, and still is, used for many pipe ceremonies and was often mixed with other herbs before smoking. The most powerful way of communicating with the spirit world is to smoke tobacco in a sacred pipe. Tobacco leaves were also traditionally placed on fires as offerings to the spirits and used as a smudge for cleansing, prayers and meditation.

Red Cedar: Red Cedar represents the southern direction of the Medicine Wheel. Dried cedar leaves are commonly used for smudging. It is a source of cleansing, healing and strength. Cedar is used for purification and to attract positive energy, and to help create balance. Cedar was one of the first gifts given to Europeans upon their arrival to Turtle Island. Its high Vitamin C content helped prevent scurvy during the long, cold winters when fruit and vegetables were not available.

Sweet Grass: Sweet Grass represents the northern direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is a sacred, medicinal herb used in ceremonial smudging. It is considered to represent the hair of mother earth. Sweet Grass is used by all First Nations people for ritual cleansing. As the smoke rises, the prayer rises above to the Creator, the Grandfather’s, and the Spirit World. It is considered to be a gift from the Creator to the First peoples. Sweet Grass is also used in some aromatic pipe tobacco mixtures.

Sage: Sage represents the western direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is used in many ceremonies and used for smudging. When burned it releases a spicy aroma. White Sage is considered to be the only sacred sage and is found throughout the northern plains. Sage offers strength, wisdom, and clarity of purpose. It symbolizes the life-giving power of women.

The Medicine Wheel Garden is located on the museum grounds behind the main building. The goal of the project is to foster new appreciation and understanding of nature and First Nations culture and to expand the visitor’s knowledge of traditional medicine, and to provide a lasting legacy so that future generations can learn and enjoy.

Gratefully Funded By:
Trans-Canada Pipelines