Why Did Indigenous Prophecies Speak of the Four Colors?
The Four Colors Weren't About Race--They Were Instruction
Many Indigenous Nations—especially those across Turtle Island—didn’t separate people by race the way colonial systems do. The framework of “race” as we know it today is not Indigenous. It’s colonial.
But in many Indigenous teachings, there is the concept of Four Directions / Four Nations / Four Colors, which correlates to:
East (Yellow)
South (Red)
West (Black)
North (White)
These teachings do not assign superiority.
They do not determine legal status, value, intelligence, or power.
They are spiritual orientations, tied to:
Elements
Seasons
Medicines
Life stages
Energetic gifts and responsibilities
So when the elders spoke of the "Four Nations" or "Four Colors," they were not speaking through a colonial race lens.
They were speaking from a cosmological, sacred balance framework—a wheel of life where each direction, each people, had a role to play in the harmony of the world.
But Wait—Isn’t Race a Social Construct?
Yes. 100%. Race—as created by white Europeans—is a colonial invention used to justify hierarchy, slavery, and land theft.
It classified people by physical features.
It assigned value based on skin.
It pathologized “Blackness” and romanticized “Whiteness.”
It was used to divide, dehumanize, and dominate.
So when we say “race is a social construct,” we’re calling out the colonial framework that:
Invented whiteness as purity.
Invented Blackness as property.
Invented “Indian blood” as something to reduce until we disappeared.
So What’s the Difference?
Why This Matters Now
When people misunderstand Indigenous teachings as “just another racial category,” they miss the point.
The Four Colors were not about control. They were about harmony.
The prophecy said we would need each other’s healing gifts—not our dominance, not our trauma, not our fragility.
So when we say white folks must unlearn domination, or Black folks carry sacred rhythm and fire, or Red Nations must root and remember the Earth, we are not essentializing race the way the colonial system did.
We are reclaiming sacred relational roles—ones tied to history, spirit, trauma, and repair.
Final Reminder:
Race is fake.
Colonialism is real.
Spiritual responsibility is ancient.
And the wisdom of the Four Directions was not built on division—but on the promise that if we each did our healing, we could one day come back together in balance.
Not sameness.
Not color-blindness.
But right relation.
Reminder — When you feel resistance…
…that’s not a signal to dismiss or defend—it’s data.
It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask yourself the hard questions instead of rushing to justify.
Where is the discomfort coming from?
What truth is it challenging for me?
Am I protecting my ego or engaging with the lesson?
Growth isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being willing to unlearn, listen, and do better.
You might want to read my Impact Guide — Unraveling Resistance: A Gentle Guide to Untangling Emotions that Hold You Back.
I really enjoyed reading this and learning about that which I had no idea of. Thank you!