Medicine Wheel Mural – Town Wharf

About

As part of the 2023 Annapolis Royal Refresh! project, Mi’kmaw artist Lorne Julien was chosen to paint an asphalt mural on the end of the Annapolis Royal Wharf. The shores of the Annapolis River (known as Te’wapskik) and its tributaries were (and still are) important landing and fishing sites for the Mi’kmaq.

Julien’s mural honours the Mi’kmaq in the area – present and past – while the symbolism also speaks of peace and friendship, particularly fitting as the 1725 Peace and Friendship Treaty was ratified in Annapolis Royal in 1728.

The mural shows the medicine wheel with the four directions and colours. There are many teachings in the medicine wheel, such as the cycle of the four seasons of the year and the seasons of life. The colours can also represent the four races of people. Some people will see seven directions: North, East, South, West, down to Mother Earth, up to Father Sky and Within.

In the mural, the medicine wheel is embedded within the eight-pointed star. A symbol used by L’nuk for thousands of years and found as a petroglyph in Bedford, it is a witness of the presence of the Mi’kmaq. Julien also uses the double curved design for decoration, a design commonly used by Mi’kmaq artists.

Inside the medicine wheel there are four eagles (kitpu) which represent love, respect, and protection. They are speaking of peace and friendship between Nations. In the very centre of the mural is an orange heart, there to remember and honour the victims of residential schools and the families affected to this present day, and to pray for healing. The bright colours the artist uses are purposeful – they bring joy, playfulness, and hope to this public place.