Fire Symbol

Native Indian Tribe

Meaning of the Fire Symbol

Fire played an important in the traditions of Native Americans and was present in all ceremonies and rituals.  Fire acts as a Messenger and is a gift from the Great Spirit. Smoke for the fire was used to cleanses sacred items, such as drums, shakers, pipes, before ceremonial use.

Fire symbolized the heart of the People and its smoke, which could also be created in a pipe, carried prayers to the Great Spirit. The Fire Symbol represents cleansing and renewal because out of the ashes of a fire comes new growth and new thoughts and ideas.

The Meaning of the Fire Symbol
The meaning of the fire symbol is self explanatory but confusion arises due to identifying exactly what icon was used as the fire symbol. Traditionally the Native American symbol for fire was often combined with the symbols of the four elements. The individual elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth are each represented by a circle.

AirFire
WaterEarth

The symbols for the sun portrayed both light and warmth and were often represented in the sun symbols, which show the round fire circle representing warmth surrounded by rays indicating light.

The Fire symbol was also represented in a pictogram by the Native American Indians as a Camp Fire symbol. The Fire symbol was therefore conveyed by various types of symbols. The Mississippian circular sun symbol has been described as the earth's forces passing out of the body of the sun into the atmosphere. But logically it could equally be used as a fire symbol. In Cherokee mythology the water spider is said to have first brought fire to the inhabitants of the earth in the basket on her back.

Native Indian Symbol
Native American Symbols
Native Indian Tribes Index

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Updated 2018-01-01

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