Lessons of the Indian Paintbrush Flower

Imagine you are outside in nature’s beauty, walking in a sacred manner. A warm breeze fondles the leaves of poplar trees. You are on a hillside, overlooking a vibrant blue lake. Jutting out from the hill, rocks form an inviting seat. Sit.

Beauty and Connection to Creator

When you see a sight as beautiful as a hillside dotted with Indian Paintbrush flowers, some tiny and others three feet tall, you become part of the great harmony, which connects all living things to Creator. You are experiencing a moment of Love.

Close your eyes and let me tell you the tale of the Indian Paintbrush Flower.

Tale of the Indian Paintbrush Flower

Stated in my words from the book by Tomie dePaola , “Legend of the Indian Paintbrush”.

A long time ago, there lived a little Indian boy named Gopher. It was not Gopher’s destiny to become a mighty warrior. Although, he tried to run, wrestle and shoot with the bow and arrow like other boys, he was too small and couldn’t manage.

Gopher went on a vision quest, where he had a vision to find a white buckskin, ” keep it and one day you will paint a picture that is as pure as the colors in the evening sky.

So we learn that Gopher’s spiritual gift was to create with color. He did get the white buckskin, but he couldn’t mix the correct colors of sunset. He tried and tried, but the colors he mixed weren’t the bright colors of sunset.

One night Gopher had a dream to watch sunset the next evening, on top of the hill, where he would find paintbrushes filled with paint – sunset colors.

The next evening Gopher went to the top of the hill where lo and behold paintbrushes were all around, full of paint in the colors of sunset as the dream vision had promised. To fulfill his destiny as an artist, he began painting a picture as pure as the colors in the evening sky.

The legend goes that after painting his masterpiece, Gopher abandoned the paintbrushes that he’d scattered about on the hillside.

The next morning, the paintbrushes had rooted to become beautiful flowers. And this is how the Indian Paintbrush flower came to be.

Medicinal Uses of Indian Paintbrush Flower

Indian paintbrush flowers are sweet and tasty and were used as a condiment by various Native American tribes. Nevada tribes used them to treat venereal disease. The Ojibwe Indians used the flowers to treat rheumatism.

This plant absorbs selenium from soil, which concentrates in the root system and green parts. If you decide to eat Indian Paintbrush flowers, don’t taste the green parts or roots, as they are quite toxic.

Wyoming State Flower

In 1917, Wyoming made the Indian Paintbrush their state flower. But, not before much controversy.

Dr. Aven Nelson, a botanist made several objections known, such as: they are parasites, which feed on other plant roots; the Wyoming school children had chosen the fringed gentian as their preference for state flower; and they did not grow throughout the state.

Grace Heberd, of the Wyoming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution commissioned an artist to paint a picture of the Indian Paintbrush flower and argued vehemently on its’ behalf. Later, she gave the painting to the state of Wyoming.

Lessons of the Indian Paintbrush Flower

It is most unfortunate that we have lost the way of beauty. The legend of the Indian Paintbrush Flower is the way it used to be. The Native Americans use a beautiful expression, “wuniish”.

Like many words in other languages, “wuniish” can’t be translated precisely to English. Its’ essence is – “May beauty surround you,” or “Walk in beauty”.

Indians believed beauty a special gift to show humans the Sacred Path. Begin by looking for hidden lessons of the Indian Paintbrush Flower. I hope you will see with new eyes. I hope you recognize beauty as the Great Harmony, which connects all living things. I wish you the wisdom to step on the Sacred Path and take your own vision quest. Wuniish!