Updated December 2023
There is an abundance of symbolism throughout Native American culture and tradition. One symbol that is universally recognized is the healing hand. Although many may take a liking to the design, very few know the origin of this symbol and what the healing hand represents.
Symbols are utilized by Native Americans in their art, ceremonies, and daily life including drawn portrayals of celestials, natural phenomena, or animals.
The Healing Hand Symbol
The solid hand symbol in Native American culture was sometimes displayed on the body of those who won in hand-to-hand combat. Warriors would don this symbol when going into battle to prove their skills and intimidate the opposing force. The hand represented a human life and was believed to transfer energy to the individual that the symbol was placed on.
The Healer’s Hand combines the hand with a spiral to create a powerful symbol of healing and protection.
The spiral was derived from Native American solar hieroglyphics and is known as the symbol for eternity or for the path of our existence on earth. The Healer’s Hand was said to have the curative powers of the tribe’s Shaman, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the Shaman’s Hand. This symbol holds therapeutic energy and is worn still today by those searching for its curative powers. By displaying this symbol around your neck or in your home, it is said to bring luck, health, and fortune.
The Healing Hand & Hopi Culture
Embedded in the cultural fabric of the Hopi tribe in Northeastern Arizona, the Hand symbol assumes profound significance. Guided by the belief of stewardship over the land, the Hopi people strive for harmonious coexistence with nature, honoring its abundant gifts and with all life forms. Rooted in the ancestral teachings of the Maasaw, who directed the Hopi clans to seek their home, the tribe embarked on a collective journey across the earth. As they traversed the landscape, some clans followed a clockwise path, while others moved counterclockwise, leaving a Hand petroglyph or pictograph either as an outline done by blowing pigment through a reed while holding a hand against the surface or by painting or carving a handprint on the walls of the canyons along their route. These symbols not only marked their physical progress; they also symbolized the spiritual connection to the land and the ongoing quest for their center place.
The hand symbol has been used across cultures all the way back to the Egyptians. The hand can symbolize anything and everything from friendship or health or a connection to the divine. They have been used for greetings, blessings and religious rituals. Most often with the indigenous peoples one sees the hand symbol utilized as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms.
At Kachina House, we love to explore the meanings behind the various symbols and traditions in the Native American culture. Look around our blog to learn more about Native American culture and be sure to check out our beautiful collection of handcrafted jewelry, pottery, and more adorned with the Healing Hand. For more information give us a call at 800-304-3290 or come visit us at our shop at 2920 Hopi Drive in Sedona!
Is it wrong or insulting to Native Americans for a white person to use the healing hand symbol?
No Susan, it is not wrong, and the healing hand symbol is not just used by Native Americans. You can find it in many cultures with slight variations. I have worn a healing hand symbol pendant for years, alongside a Christian cross, and a symbol for the Hopi Universe. I call it “my covering the bases” necklace. I believe everyone has some idea of what happens after this life, but I don’t think anyone really has it totally right. Wear it and enjoy it!!!
It’s a weight off my shoulders hearing you say so! Since I was a child, I wore a necklace my grandmother gave me with the healing hand symbol on it. Anytime I felt scared or abandoned, I held it and imagined it healing all of my anxieties away. It just recently broke, and I was worried it would be frowned upon to replace. I love what you’re doing here, keep it up <3
Thank you….we try our best to provide an education as well as cultural arts and crafts….so glad you are enjoying our site.
Did the Great Lakes tribes know that Michigan was shaped like a hand? Are legends posted about the Michigan hand truly Native legends or later inventions? Thanks
Too hard to say. If you are of the belief that the Native people were helped by visitors from another planet, then yet, they would certainly know that the lake was shaped like a hand. However, if you go back far enough in time….it most certainly was not that same shape. One would have to be above the lake to see the shape of it in the time period that it became that shape.
Great question…..The spiral represents a migration of sorts. Each of us is on our own “migration” through life and we will not know the path we have taken until our life is over. At that point, you get to see the path you were on and the ripple effect your life had on the other “migration” paths that you touched.
Hello, Can the healing hand be sideways or slanted? I’m working on a logo.
Thank you!
Indeed you can put the hand in another direction with the migration pattern in the center….it appears in many different positions. Thanks for asking.
Hello,
I need a clarification abou the Healing Hand…
It can be represented by the left or right hand? I mean the spiral be to the left or to the right doesn matter ?
Thanks a lot !
Peace on for All 🙂
correct. The either hand, either direction spiral