Nur’s Nook: Make a Hoop for Humanity
“Bahá’u’lláh has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity.” — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
A medicine wheel is a sacred American Indian symbol used for health and healing. It’s created in the shape of a circle—an ancient and universal sign that represents completeness or wholeness. The wheel can inspire people to live more balanced, harmonious lives.
American Indian tribes have different interpretations of the wheel. It may be made as a sculpture, painting, or other work of art. Intersecting lines at the center of the wheel create four equal sections in four different colors. In some tribes, the colors stand for diverse races or ethnic groups, showing that all people are interconnected and equally important.
Make your own hoop for humanity inspired by the medicine wheel. Hang it in your home to promote unity and to express your appreciation for our diverse human family.
You’ll Need:
4 3/4" (12.1 cm) bowl and 3 ¾" (9.5 cm) cup (or other round items), pencil, 6" (15.2 cm) square corrugated cardboard, scissors, ruler, two craft sticks, tacky glue, yarn (black, red, yellow, and white), beads, one 5" (12.7 cm) and four 8" (20.3 cm) pieces of thin string or cord for stringing beads, craft feathers
Step 1: Place bowl on cardboard. Trace around it with pencil and cut out circle.
Step 2: Place cup in center of cardboard circle. Trace around it with pencil and carefully cut out inner circle to make a hoop.
Step 3: Lightly glue ends of one craft stick so it’s horizontal in center of hoop.
Step 4: Lightly glue ends and center of other craft stick to center of hoop so it’s vertical, forming a plus sign. Press stick ends to hoop and let dry.
Step 5: Glue end of red yarn against edge of a stick, where sticks intersect.
Step 6: Wind yarn snugly and evenly around stick and stop at hoop.
Step 7:
A. Unglue end of this stick where it touches hoop to continue winding yarn around the hoop. Wrapped yarn should span the width of this stick and stop at first edge of next stick.
B. Cut and glue yarn’s end to wrapped yarn or hoop. Avoid gluing yarn to stick.
Step 8: Repeat Steps 5-7 with a different yarn color for each hoop section.
Step 9: Re-glue stick ends to yarn on hoop. At top of hoop, thread smaller cord under a loop of wound yarn and knot its ends together, to make a loop for hanging.
Step 10: Knot ends of other cords—each to a different loop of wound yarn— along perimeter of hoop. Add decorative beads and feathers to these cords and secure with knots or glue. Trim ends of cords. Now it’s ready to hang!
For a printable version, download a PDF.
Please note: With respect for Indigenous cultures, this craft was reviewed and approved by Lakota and Anishnabe hoop dancer and educator Kevin Locke, and by the the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Illinois, U.S.