This otherworldly image shows an aerial view of a Native American medicine wheel in Wyoming where indigenous cultures once held healing ceremonies and other rituals. The photo is part of a new U.S. National Library of Medicine exhibit examining concepts of health and medicine among contemporary American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. The library website offers additional information about the medicine wheel:
This medicine wheel was constructed by Plains Indians several hundred years ago. The star alignments of the wheel are most accurate for about AD 1200. This wheel, a U.S. Park Service National Monument, is one of the largest and most well preserved in North America.
Titled "Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness," the exhibit explores the connection between wellness, illness and cultural life through a combination of interviews with Native people, interactive media, objects and artwork. In an effort to make the exhibit accessible to those who can't visit the library in person, there is a web version of the exhibition at here. The library also plans to develop a traveling version consisting of a series of banners with information.
Image courtesy of the USDA Forest Service
