Medicine Wheel FAQ

The so-called "Medicine Wheels" of the North American Great Plains are part of a global mystery of prehistoric stone rings.

Big Horn Medicine Wheel in the 1930's

What are Medicine Wheels?

Medicine Wheels are stone monuments on the northwest plains of North America.  They are configurations of prairie boulders, usually on hilltops, laid out in generally concentric patterns of features including cairns, spokes and rings.  Each Medicine Wheel is quite unique, although there appear to be significant design similarities between groups of sites.

Who built them?

Medicine Wheels were constructed by foot-nomadic First Nations peoples.  Many different tribal groups made transient occupation of the Great Plains during prehistory, so it is impossible to identify any specific group as the originators of Medicine Wheels.  The introduction of the horse with the first Europeans disrupted prehistoric living traditions on the Great Plains.

How old are they?

Offering few artifacts, Medicine Wheels are extremely difficult to date accurately. The Northwest Plains were icebound until about 10,000 years ago.  Excavations suggest the earliest Medicine Wheels were constructed more than 5,000 years ago and were possibly used or visited relatively continuously into the proto-historic period.  It is reasonable to believe that Medicine Wheels were a part of Plains culture for the entire prehistoric period.

Why were they built?

Nobody knows.  There was probably a mortuary or memorial purpose, and possibly ceremonial use as well.  The hilltop locations and lack of archaeological materials suggest that these were special places.  Other unproven ideas range from signposts to astronomical observatories. 

How many Medicine Wheels are there?

Less than 150 Medicine Wheels remain (see map below).  They are fragile sites, most protected only by keeping their exact locations secret.

How big are Medicine Wheels?

The smallest Medicine Wheels are only a few meters across, and the largest extend for a few hundred meters.  They are typically constructed of basketball-sized boulders that a single person could carry, although in some sites there are boulders as large as 500kg that would have required many people to move.  Sites range from hundreds to tens of thousands of boulders.

Why are they called "Medicine Wheels"?

The term "Medicine Wheel" first arose in association with the Big Horn boulder configuration on Medicine Mountain in the Big Horn Mountains for Wyoming, which received public attention in the September 1895 issue of Forest and Stream magazine. The term is useful because it captures the enigma ("medicine" connoting power and magic) as well as some of the wheel-like radial design features.

Are there other stone rings around the world?

There are prehistoric stone rings across the entire Northern Hemisphere, ranging from the most famous "megalithic" sites of Stonehenge and Avebury in England into Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Japan and Siberia.  The oldest Medicine Wheels may actually predate Stonehenge and the Pyramids, so it isn't clear which way a tradition might have traveled, if it did.  No concrete evidence explains the world's stone ring monuments, or links them conclusively together.

Why are Medicine Wheels interesting?

Akin to writing, the Medicine Wheels were clearly a patterned form of cultural expression unique to the Northwest Plains, yet apparently connected in some way to an ancient, now-forgotten worldwide tradition.  The Medicine Wheels are interesting analytically because their relatively simple construction - the 'digital point' nature of their boulders - offers an unprecedented opportunity for information science to systematically discover some of their secrets.  

What is the purpose of this web channel?

To promote the undisturbed conservation and rational study of Medicine Wheels.

Contact me at david dot vogt at ubc dot ca for further information.

Go to the Medicine Wheel Directory