Black Elk Speaks
“These ribbons represent the four quarters of the universe. The black one is for the west where the thunder beings live to send us rain; the white one for the north, whence comes the great white cleansing wind; the red one for the east, which springs light and where the morning star lives to give men wisdom; the yellow for the south, whence come the summer and the power to grow.”
Notes by John G. Neihardt
"The four directions (world quarters) are personified as winds, each designated by a symbolic complex of colors, animals or birds, and distinctive powers (see Walker, Lakota Belief and Ritual, 124-127). Two other directions, up and down, were recognized in addition to the four winds, making a total of six. Ritual actions, such as offering the pipe, include all six directions in order to call upon and bring together the powers or the universe."