This Tribal Shield represents everything that is Lipan, spanning the past, present, and future, and all these truths reside within the Sacred Hoop of Life.
Fourteen bones, each engraved with an arrow and separated by four colored beads, form a circle. Within this circle are mountains, the glow of a hidden sun, a river, the sky, a desert, plants, and a buffalo with its calf. Four eagle feathers, wrapped in leather, hang gracefully from this Circle of Life.
Our ancestors are honored and revered, represented by their bones arranged in a circle to symbolize the Circle of Life. Within the circle, arrows signify the movement of our generations as different groups (bands) of our people traveled with the changing seasons. The beads connecting all of our ancestors are painted in the colors of the four directions: white for North, yellow for West, blue for South, and black for East. These directions represent a sacred path, symbolizing our people's migration to Texas and the journey of life, from youth to elder, and blessing prayers with smoke.
Regardless of our band, we are united as Nde. The Nopalito and Yucca plants illustrate how the land sustains us through food, medicine, and supplies for shelter and daily needs.
At the center of it all is the Buffalo, symbolizing the hunt and the understanding that the Creator will provide for the Lipan People.
Inside the Buffalo stands a light grey calf, representing rebirth and the strength of a new generation. This signifies a commitment to teaching our children the old ways, ensuring the preservation of the traditions, language, and culture of the Lipan Apache.
In our prayers to the Creator for our past, present, and future, there are four Eagle feathers. The ties that unite the Feathers to the Sacred Hoop of Life are red for the blood of our Lipan People and are wrapped in sinew four times, as the number four serves as a metaphor for the Lipan Apache. These feathers are a gift from the Creator, meant to be used in our ceremonies and prayers since our creation. The Lipan Apache People will endure.
About the Artist: The Tribe's Shield was designed and entirely painted by artist and Tribe member Juan Villareal from Alice, Texas. The image presented on this page is a digital representation of Juan's original painting. 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 Tribe Office in McAllen, Texas.