A River Flows Through Our Hearts

Both the stylized design of this gold overlay pendant, and its title - which literally means, A River Flows Through My Heart - are a metaphor for our spirit which, despite all ‘rational’ constraints and limitations we tend to create for ourselves, is essentially as free as the flight of a bird – or the course of a river.

The inlaid orbs that the jeweler connected by means of a free-flowing ‘spirit’ line, symbolize seeds (which stand for growth and new beginnings) as well as the sun (representing illumination and enlightenment). Naturally, these orb designs are symbols of the most sacred nature whose meaning goes far beyond the obvious.

The flowing 'spirit line' design, which resembles a free-flowing river, refers to a place beyond language, like a Spiritual realm, or a ceremony. It also implies the movement of Spiritual energy that flows - in a ritual way - through the hearts of those that partake in the ceremonies of the Midewiwin (the Society of the Good-Hearted Ones) and the Sun Dance.

"Native people know that everything in Creation has spirit. The plants, the trees, the water, the wind, the rocks and the mountains have spirit. The sky world, including the moon and other planets, has spirit. All of these are part of our first family, the natural world."