Medicine Wheel astrology
Native American zodiac signs
Where the “Native American zodiac” of animal totems comes from, why many Native people reject it, and what real Indigenous sky knowledge looks like.
The short answer
The animal-totem “Native American zodiac” (for example Falcon, Beaver, Deer, Woodpecker) comes from The Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology, a 1980 book by Sun Bear (Vincent LaDuke) and Wabun. It is a modern creation for a general audience, not a tradition shared by Native nations.
Why it is controversial
There are more than 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States alone, each with its own cultures and sky stories. A single “Native American” zodiac flattens that diversity, and many Native writers regard commercial Medicine Wheel astrology as cultural appropriation. For that reason we do not publish the totem chart as if it were a tradition.
Native American zodiac signs and meanings: a Western zodiac in disguise
The twelve periods of the Medicine Wheel chart begin on the same dates as the Western zodiac (the first starts on March 21, like Aries), and each is linked with a Western sign. In other words, the system renames the tropical zodiac rather than recording a separate Indigenous calendar. Compare the Western sign dates.
Full moon names
Names such as Wolf Moon, Snow Moon, Strawberry Moon and Harvest Moon, often described as “Native American moon names”, were popularised by U.S. farmers’ almanacs in the 20th century. They draw partly on Algonquian and colonial American usage, but different nations have their own, very different names for the moons of the year.
Real Indigenous astronomy
Many nations have detailed knowledge of the sky: Lakota star knowledge connecting constellations with sacred places in the Black Hills, the Pawnee star priests, or Ojibwe constellations such as the Fisher. These are best learned from the nations themselves and their published educational resources.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Native American zodiac sign?
There is no pan-Native zodiac. The animal chart comes from a 1980 book, not from Native nations.
Sources
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