Understanding Identity
Identity affects everything that you do, and how you see the world. As students and young professionals, it is important to understand how identity affects the way that you interact with the work you do, and how you relate to the content that you are learning and producing.
Identity can take many forms, and be expressed in many ways. Many Indigenous teachings focus on the concept of the medicine wheel to represent the different elements of identity. Understanding how the different parts of identity related to the medicine wheel can affect your understanding of yourself and your relationality to the work that you are conducting is a key part of situating yourself within the work you are doing
Did you know?
The medicine wheel is a sacred symbol for Indigenous people, which represents the four dimensions of self, or identity, in conjunction with the 4 cardinal directions. This representation of identity helps to illustrate the circularity and interconnection of the different elements of identity as they are connected to the land and the wider world. Many Indigenous cultures have different uses and representations of the medicine wheel, and they can be used to show important teachings within these cultures.
Take some time to review the different elements of identity that can be represented in the Anishinaabe conceptions of the medicine wheel now (Styres, 2017, p.32):
Medicine Wheel Hotspot Activity:
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Circularity
The medicine wheel takes the form of a circle to show that all elements of life, land and identity are interconnected. The medicine wheel is designed to represent the circle of life (Styres, 2017).
The North
The white section of the medicine wheel is associated with the cardinal direction of the North. This section of the medicine wheel represents the night time and is connected to elders. The North section of the medicine wheel is connected to the winter, and the sacred medicine of the North is sweetgrass. This section of the medicine wheel is most commonly associated with the spiritual element of identity. (DDSB, 2017).
The East
The yellow section of the medicine wheel represents the East. The East in the medicine wheel symbolizes birth and new life. The East represents spring, and its sacred medicine is tobacco. This section of the medicine wheel is often connected to physical elements of identity (DDSB, 2019).
The South
The red section of the medicine wheel represents the South. This part of the medicine wheel symbolizes mid-day and is associated with youth and adolescence. The season associated with this section is summer, and the sacred medicine of the south is cedar. The element of identity most commonly associated with the South is emotional identity (DDSB, 2019).
The West
The black section of the medicine wheel is associated with the cardinal direction of the West. This section of the medicine wheel represents the evening and adulthood. The West section of the medicine wheel is connected to the autumn, and the sacred medicine of the West is sage. This section of the medicine wheel is most commonly associated with the mental element of identity (DDSB, 2019).
