Circle of Life / Elders

Pendleton Blanket 64" x 80" Multi color

The Circle of Life robe was designed to honor all the Elders and their responsibility to teach that all things are interrelated and an equal part of the whole. The Circle of Life teaches us we are children of the Earth, that we all share an equal place in the circle, that when mixed together, the four sacred colors of yellow, red, black and white - which represent the four Directions or race of Man - create brown, the color of Mother Earth. This robe honoring the Elders speaks of universal understandings. The east represents the Sun and is yellow, the south represents the warmth and vitality of life-blood, and is red, the west represents the darkness in the night sky and stars, and is black, and the north represents the purity of snow, and is white. Each of the Four Directions represents a stage of life; east symbolizes birth, south the vitality of youth, west the maturity of experience, and north the wisdom of age. The Circle of Life also consists of the colors of blue for the sky and green for the Earth. The borders are based on designs found on ceremonial pipes called puzzle pieces. The cross reinforces the Four Directions and represents the four quarters of the world and the universe.