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Journey to the Medicine Wheel
by Howard Terpning®
“The medicine wheel has been described by Native Americans as a Chapel in the
Wilderness. The circle represents the universe. The lines to the center are messengers
which carry the voice of man to God. The rock represents great grandmother earth.
“There is one such site at 10,000 feet atop the Big Horn Mountains. The
limestone rocks form a circle almost 90 feet in diameter with 28
spokes. It is said that today more than 80 tribes take the long hike up
the mountain to worship at the wheel. Crow tribal elder John Hill says
that for more than a millennium the wheel has been a place for fasting
and vision quests. There are many such wheels of varying sizes
throughout the Northern Plains, some known only to the Native American.
“I first became interested in the medicine wheel when a friend brought
me to the site of a small one in 1985 in the Bitterroot Range. I took a
photo of the scene but it was getting dark and the image was
underexposed, but at least it gave me a record of the scene. I thought
then I might do a painting about the wheel, but nothing came to mind.
Fifteen years later another friend sent me a newspaper article with a
photo of the wheel covered with snow. I mulled over the idea for
another seven years before I finally figured out how the picture should
be composed. I’m relieved that the painting is finally out of my system
and yet sad that the adventure is over.”
MasterWork™
Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Giclée
Canvas:
limited to 85 s/n.
52"w x 35"h (unstretched).
$2950
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