Native American Labyrinths

Hopi Round Labyrinth

Hopi Square Labyrinth

The Symbol of the Emergence - The whole myth and meaning of the Emergence is expressed by one symbol known to the Hopis / The Hopi are a group of indigenous Native American people who primarily live on the 6,557.262 km² Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi Reservation is entirely surrounded by the much larger Navajo Reservation/ as the Mother Earth symbol. There are two forms, the square [yellow above] and the circular [red above]. Examples of these Labyrinth are carved on a rock south of Oraibi ( Oraibi is the oldest Hopi village and one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages within the territory of the United States ), and south of Shipaulovi. A combination of the two forms is also carved on a wooden stick which is planted in front of the One Horn altar in the Kwani kiva at Walpi during the Wъwuchim ceremony. The symbol is commonly known as Tapu'at [Mother and Child]. This type represents spiritual rebirth from one world to the succeeding one, as symbolized by the Emergence itself.

The Man in the Maze

At one level, the labyrinth symbolizes the female womb, only penetrable if one is pure and perfect. The male figure outside, representing the human seed, can penetrate the womb, fertilize the ovum, produce new life, which then emerges as a new birth or a reincarnated existence. Entry into the labyrinth gives new life to litoi, thus achieving reincarnation and eternal life.