Symbolism & Sacred History:
About the Lipan Apache Tribe's Shield
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| About the Shield
This Tribal Shield heralds all that is Lipan, all that was Lipan,
and all that will be Lipan and all these Truths reside with in the
Sacred Hoop of Life.
Fourteen bones each engraved with an arrow, separated by four colored
beads form a circle. Mountains, river, sky, desert, plants and a buffalo with
calf are with in the confines of this circle. Four Eagle feathers
are carefully wrapped and hang in quiet eloquence from this Circle of Life.
Our Ancestors are represented by the bones. To our Grandmothers
and Grandfathers we owe honor and reverence. Arranged in a ring,
this speaks to the Circle of Life. Fourteen arrows signify
fourteen bands and the arrows track in a circular motion from East
to West, a pathway Sacred to our People. The beads that unite
our Ancestors and clans together are painted in the colors of
the East (black), the West (Yellow), the South (Blue), and the
North (White). The pattern is of life and blessing prayers
with smoke.
The People of the Forest and the People of the Plains, all
of the Nde are seen as one family under the Great Sky of
blue. Nopalito and Yucca plants reveal how the land gives
life as food, medicine, and provides for gifts of shelter
and daily needs.
At the very center of all is the Buffalo, for he represents
the hunt and the knowledge that Creator will provide for His People.
Standing within the Buffalo is a light grey and pure calf,
a symbol of rebirth and strength of a new generation.
Here is the promise to teach the children of the old ways,
to preserve the traditions, language, and culture of all
that is Lipan Apache.
In prayers to the Creator for all that has past, all
that is, and all that will be are four Eagle feathers.
The ties that unite the Feathers to the Sacred Hoop of
Life are red for the blood of the People and are wrapped
in sinew four times, as the number four is a metaphor
that names the Lipan Apache. The Feathers are the gift
of Creator for prayer and through His Will; the Lipan
Apache People will endure.
And having been prepared, the Lipan Apache will
walk in Beauty.
About the Artist:
The Tribe's Shield was designed and entirely painted by artist and Tribe member Juan Villareal
from Alice, Texas. Juan was part of a committee who conceptualized the
basics of what was to be incorporated into the shield design. He then
worked on and presented the current shield design to the committe which was
accepted. Juan Villareal also painted the Paleo Texas mural in the first Tribal Office in Corpus
Christi, Texas. When space permits, this mural will be reassembled in the new Tribe Office in McAllen, Texas.
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