lundi 25 mai 2015

Understanding The Native American Cross Necklace

By Tammie Caldwell


It is a habit of some people to wear jewelry with symbols that they do not fully understand. While this can be excused for a teenager wearing a giant pentacle and thinking it refers to the Devil, but adults who adorn themselves in mysterious symbolism run the risk of looking foolish. This is also true with those who wear a Native American cross necklace, having done no research in order to understand what it means.

The attributes of symbolism can vary a great deal from tribe to tribe, so a full study of this is called for so that the wearer can speak intelligently on the matter. The origins of this symbol appear to have come from the ancient Mound Builders, also known as the Mississippian tribes of Midwestern America. Modern tribes still have elements of these Mississippian people in their culture, and they still use this symbol in their rituals, although different groups utilize it in various ways.

The ancestors of this land were a deeply spiritual group of people, and they created artwork and symbolism for ritualistic purposes. They incorporated various symbols into each other in order to expand the meanings attributed to their cave paintings. This incorporation of symbols to show meaning is the origin of what we would now call an alphabet, and these natives were one of the first societies to develop a written language.

The Mound Builders saw the intersecting lines as barriers between the Underworld where the dead live, the physical world, and the upper world, which our culture often describes as Heaven. Their artwork often depicted these lines as coming together in the center of a circle. Within the center of this circle, these dimensions were shown to intersect.

The most rudimentary of this equilateral symbolism, contained within a circle, has roughly the same meaning as the Celtic variety. It represents the four elements which emanated from God and created the Universe. Some tribes also use it to represent the four tribes of mankind, coming here to keep balance in the world.

This is also known as the medicine wheel in many tribes, most of which still use this particular meaning. The term Medicine Wheel was not actually a term used by these original Americans, but was terminology placed upon it by the European settlers. The colors utilized on the wheel were dependent upon the tribe or family group utilizing the symbol.

Within the circle, it may represent continuity, perfection, or infinity. When such artwork is made with colors, each arm or quadrant of the wheel has a particular color that can correspond to a cardinal direction or an element. When seen with the four colored quadrants, it becomes quite clear that it is the same as the Swastika symbol that originated from the ancient Hindu people.

The meanings and spiritual attributes vary greatly from tribe to tribe. However, anyone can utilize this symbolism for their own spiritual purposes. When one wears such an adornment, it would show great respect to have their piece represent four attributes that they choose for themselves.




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