Native American Talking Stick

The Native American Talking Stick was used by councils to keep order and allow everyone time to present their Sacred Point of View

Colors on the stick had meaning: – Red for life – Yellow for knowledge– Blue for prayer and wisdom – White for spirit– Purple for healing – Orange for kinship– Black for clarity or focus

Ornamentation on the talking stick

The tree from which it was made was important:– Birch for truth– White Pine for peace– Cedar for cleansing– Aspen for seeing clearly– Elm for wisdom– Mountain Ash for protection– Cherry for love or strong emotion– Oak for strength– Maple for gentleness

Ornamentation for Talking Sticks

Feathers had special meaning:– Eagle for high ideals viewed from the “eagle’s eye”– Owl for stopping deception from entering the sacred space of

the council Skins used on the stick had meaning:

– Elk for physical fitness– Deer for gentleness– Rabbit for listening abilities– Horse hair for perseverance– Wrapping a snake skin around the stick prevented illnesses of

the mind and spirit to adversely affect the council

Meaning of the Talking Stick

Each chief would make his unique stick from the particular tree, skin, and colors depending what his council would be discussing.

The stick was passed to each person who wanted to speak on the issue.

**Try using the talking stick during this unit for speaking privileges.

Making a Talking Stick (optional)

Native AmericanTalking StickUse a talking stick to keep order in your group meeting. 

The talking stick was used by Native Americans to show who had the right to speak. The chief would hold the talking stick and begin the discussion, We would pass the talking stick to the next speaker. Only the individual holding the stick could speak.

Making a Talking Stick

You Need: Stick 1 Yard Suede Cord One Yellow Pony Bead symbolizes sunrise (The East)

One Red Pony Bead symbolizes sunset  (The West)One White Pony Bead symbolizes snow (The North)One Green Pony Bead symbolizes grass (The South)

1" Strip of Faux Fur as a reminder to speak softly

Making a Talking Stick Feather as a reminder to be wise as an eagle Bear Claw Bead as a reminder to be strong like

bear

Tacky Glue Scissors Instructions: Cut a 1" x 6" strip of faux fur. Wrap it around the end of a

stick gluing in place. Wrap the bottom with a piece of suede cord to secure. Trim. On the other end, wrap another piece of suede cord securing one end and leaving the other end dangling. Tie on a bear claw bead. Slide on the pony beads. Dab the end of a feather in glue and push it up into the bottom pony bead.

Courtesy of Making Friends.com