From Cedar to Sweetgrass: Let’s Talk About Wellness

Wellness is not a one-size-fits-all. There is no right or wrong way a Nation, person or community may use the term. And it can change at different points in our lives. The First Nations Health Authority created the image below. The circle shows the way our First Nations knowledge keepers look at health and wellness and our understanding that wellness is a part of every aspect of our lives.

This tool was created from the wisdom of Elders, healers and partners across the province of so-called British Columbia. These ancestral lands were not given up to the colonizers and had Indigenous names and titles. This includes the territories of many Nations and Indigenous land protectors.

The model is made up of five circles and can apply to all peoples, Indigenous or not.

• The Outer Ring is an image of strong children, families, Elders and people in communities.
• The Centre Circle stands for individual humans. We all deserve wellness and wellness starts with us. 
• The Second Circle shows how mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health are shared to create a balanced life. All of these things need care and attention and are the basis of wellness.
• The Third Circle represents the basic values that support wellness – respect, wisdom, responsibility and relationships.
• The Fourth Circle includes the people in our lives and the places we come from:
  • the Nations our culture is born in
  • our families (as defined by you)
  • the land we live on
  • our community 
• The Fifth Circle shows the causes of our health and well-being – including the social, cultural, economic and environmental causes. 

These are all important aspects of our lives that reflect our wellness and health.

This holistic model of wellness can help guide us on what we need to care for in our lives when we are feeling lost. For example, unless we take ownership over our own health, we won’t be able to make changes to our mental, physical or spiritual well-being.

We may also feel we cannot take responsibility for our emotional well-being because it is difficult to build meaningful relationships with others in our community or circle of care. 

You may be asking yourself “is this Perspective of Wellness similar to the Medicine Wheel?” Both of these models are circular,  a common design feature in many Indigenous concepts of wellness.  

The medicine wheel is one of a kind and created to include worldviews from many Nations. 

The Medicine Wheel is the sacred symbol of life. The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol of life.  It is important to many Indigenous cultures, such as different Anishinaabe [ah-nee-she-nah-beh] and nêhiyawak (neh-Hee-o-wuk) people and communities.

The Medicine Wheel is used by many peoples across Turtle Island as a guide to how to live their best lives. It is the source for traditional teachings and guidance and a metaphor for many spiritual teachings about life. There is no simple answer to the question, “What is a Medicine Wheel?”  They come in many forms, with different meanings, and carry different stories. 

There are a few aspects that Medicine Wheels often have in common. Most are circular and use the colours of black, white, red and yellow. Most are also divided into quarters that stand for:

• physical health
• emotional health
• mental health
• spiritual health or meaning

Some less common aspects may be included depending on where the teaching first came from. These include elements such as fire, water and air. You may also see animals in each quarter like the Wolf or Raven. Sometimes they have traditional medicines such as cedar or sage.

As you can see, Sacred Circles or Medicine Wheels are used by many cultures and are unique to each. These sacred teachings have been wrongfully taken over by non-Indigenous people in past years, but the concepts and teachings are still held with sacred care by Indigenous Peoples.