Papago Maze Copper Green Poster

Style of unicursal Labyrinth topologically equivalent to the classical seven circuit Labyrinth, commonly seen in the Tohono O'Odham nation (Native American tribe), characterized by seven concentric circles with the seed pattern in the center. Life and Choice, depicted in this common symbol, "the-man-in-the-maze" was originally created as an illustration of an emergence story by the Tohono o'odham or Papago Indians of the Central Valley in Arizona. The little man is named "U'ki'ut'l" in their language. It has been adopted by other people because it is significant of life's cycles and eternal motion and also of the choices we are confronted with. The right choices lead us to a point of harmony with all things, no matter how hard or long the road taken. This symbol is especially utilized by Hopi silversmiths as a way to showcase the quality of their technique. The O'odham began employing the man-in-the-maze pattern in their basketry by the early 1900s. The motif has come to serve as a symbol for the O'odham people. The human-like figure is the O'odham Elder Brother, I'itoi. There is no one meaning to the Man in the Maze. Interpretations of the image vary from family to family. A common interpretation is as follows: The human figure stands for the O'odham people. The maze represents the difficult journey toward finding deeper meaning in life. The twists an turns refer to struggles and lessons learned along the way. At the center of the maze is a circle, which stands for death, and for becoming one with Elder Brother I'itoi, the Creator. Other O'odham see the image of a man as representative of an individual, or all of mankind, or I'itoi himself. This information came from: http://www.earthart.org/happenings/kiva/labyrinths.html