The story starts some 400 years ago
With a prayer from an unknown shaman
To free the people from the yearly cycles of feast and famine
And give them the leisure time
To express the beauty of the circle of creation in art
To the honor of the Creator and their ancestors.

The spirit of the horse heard the prayer
Escaping from the Spanish conquistadors
It traveled North, freeing the Indian nations as it came

The horse is honored in the Metis medicine wheel
For allowing them to need just two buffalo hunts a year.
This gave them time to develop a culture
Thus enabling them to use the gift of creativity
That the Creator had given them.
The circle was complete.

The Medicine Wheel is a tool of power and purpose that the
Metis use in their everyday lives to help forge their spiritual
link to the Creator.

The Metis Medicine Wheel is composed of the natural
traditional materials that have been used by the Metis for hundreds of years.

The hoop which honors the never ending life cycle, always has to
be on red willow which is a tree known for its healing properties.

The fur is red fox for the Metis clan totem animal
The beads are always glass crow beads, which honor the four
directions, and form symbolic color combinations on the straps.
The wool used to wrap the feathers is red trade wool.
In the center is an abalone shell, which honors Mother Earth,
or a slice of elk horn which represents love and loyalty,
because the elk is the only animal that will fight to the death for its mate.

The four beads in the center pay tribute to the four directions.
The blue bead forms north and stands for knowledge.
The black bead forms south and honors the elders.
The yellow bead forms west and honors youth.
The red bead forms east and represents life.

The five wild Canadian goose feathers are used to carry prayers to the Creator.
The four red thunder dots on each feather honor the thunder beings,
the grandmothers and grandfathers, and the four directions of the universe.
The fifth feather has a tuft of white artic fox to represent peace.
There are 4 more Canadian goose feathers at the top that also represent the four directions.

And of course the long trailing horse hair which honors the horse for allowing
the Metis to only need 2 buffalo hunts a year, and have the leisure time to
express their creativity during the long cold winter.