
The Original Swastika Symbolized Well Being & Good Fortune
The original swastika symbolized well being and good fortune (The museum appreciates the information sent by Diane Veledey from the Chamber of Commerce in Raton, New Mexico.) A recent visitor to the White Deer Land Museum was very agitated because he had seen a swastika in this area.

Eloise Lane

Eloise Lane
Like those whose memory goes back to World War II, he associated the swastika with the hate, antisemitism, death and murder of Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Party. But the swastika — with an entirely different meaning — has been known and used by many cultures around the world for many years. Artifacts, such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy, show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 B.C. The original word is “svastika,” a word in Sanskrit, the carefully constructed classical language of the Hindus.
The “av” means “good;” “asti” means “to be” and “ka” is a suffix. The swastika, meaning “well being,” has been used for more than three thousand years to represent the sun, power, strength and good luck. The form of the swastika is an adaptation of the Greek cross which has an up- right and ~ transverse shaft equal in length and intersecting at their middles. The swastika has each of its four arms bending at midpoint and extending at right angles all in the same rotary direction.
The bent arms may extend clockwise to the right or counterclockwise to the left. If the bent arms extend counterclockwise, the swastika looks like a formation of four capital L’s. In the mid-nineteenth century, German nationalists began to use the swastika because it had Aryan/Indian origins. This symbol became the official emblem of the Nazi Party on August 7, 1920, at the Salzburg Congress. But even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol with positive connotations. It was a common decoration on cigarette cases, postcards, coins and buildings.
During World War I (1917-1918), the swastika could be found on the shoulder patches of the American 45th Division. The symbol was used by the Finnish air force until after World War II (1941-1945). The swastika, meaning “good fortune,” was widely used by the Indians in New Mexico as a means of giving directions. In ~ a post office was established at Swastika, a coal-mining town five miles west of Raton in Dillon Canyon. The Gardiner-Swastika branch of AT&SF PP once extended from Dillon to Swastika, In the 1930s, people from this area became interested in the scenic attractions of New Mexico, particularly around Eagle Nest.
They frequently stopped at Raton and became aware of the swastika and its Indian meaning of “good fortune.” Some thought that this symbol was appropriate to use when constructing their houses. Records in Wheeler County (Texas) show that the counterclockwise swastika was recorded as a cattle brand in 1936. By 1940, swastikas had almost completely disappeared in the southwestern United States. The name of the coal-mining town of Swastika was changed to Brilliant in 1940. The swastika cattle brand in Wheeler County was rearranged to form the initial capital letter of a family name. However, a Swastika Hotel still (in 2004) exists in Paton, New Mexico.
It is very sad that the swastika which originated as a symbol of well being and good fortune has become a symbol of hate and death. There is a movement to differentiate the two meanings of the swastika: the clockwise Nazi version to mean hate and death and the counterclockwise version to represent the ancient meaning of the symbol – well being and good fortune.
Over 200 Articles, written by Eloise Lane, were published in the Pampa News. These articles may be accessed by clicking on each section below. A list of articles will be revealed that are linked to a page containing the text of the article.
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Articles 1-20
- Origin Of The "White Deer" Name
- The Log House On White Deer Creek
- Obtaining The Land
- The Lands Organized
- Cattle Brands Tell Story
- Ghosts And All
- Southern Kansas Railroad
- Fire Guard Dam
- When The Railroad Came
- The Sutton RR Station
- Post Office At Pampa
- The Bell Family
- J.C. Short
- Pampa 1892-1902
- Pampa Laid Out In 1902
- Crystal Palace Founded
- Gray County Organization
- Organization - Continued
- Gray County - Lefors
- McLean - The Largest Town
Articles 21-40
- Gouge Eye
- The "Mother Road"
- German Family Reunion
- Desks From Hopkins
- Grandview School Begins
- The Oil Money
- History Wall Painted
- Boydston Or Boydstun?
- Ontario???
- Laketon - Early Farming
- Laketon - Continued
- First Couple To Marry
- Hoover
- Water Well Drilling
- Kingsmills Visit Pampa
- George Tyng Left
- Tragedy In Utah
- T.D. Hobart - Manager
- M.K. Brown Arrives
- Rider Livery Stable
Articles 41-60
- The Pioneer Cottage
- Pampa's First Doctor
- Doctor Makes House Calls
- A Red Cross Nurse
- Pampa's First School
- Hobart Went To London
- Cemetery Began In 1904
- First Business District
- C.P. Buckler Arrives
- Five Barrett Brothers
- Influence Of The Santa Fe
- Trains Still Roll
- John V. Thomass - Teacher
- Cattle-loading Center
- Rolla J. Sailor & Arrowheads
- A.H. Doucette Arrives
- Lands Are Advertised
- The Holland Hotel
- Wheat Left Pampa
- First National Bank Begins
Articles 61-80
- Pampa News Begins
- First Denominational Church
- 2nd Office Of WD Lands
- J.N. Duncan Arrives
- Nels Walberg Sells…
- Dormer Simms
- Fourth Of July Celebrations
- Pampa's First Cars
- Pampa In 1907-08
- J.S. Wynne Family Arrives
- Gray Count State Bank
- Baptist Church Organized (Under Construction)
- Joe & Lizzie Bowers
- Threatened By Prairie Fire
- Library Began In 1907
- J.R. Henry
- Sir Gordan & Lady Cunard
- Three Vicars Brothers
- Dodd Grain And Produce
- December 29, 1991
Articles 81-100
- D.C. Davis Family
- Long Christmas Celebration
- First Christian Church
- Facts About Pampa
- Buster Brown
- The Last Hanging
- Bones Hooks
- The "Red Brick" Is No More
- The Purviances Family
- The Dr. E. von Brunow Park
- Boards Of First Headquarters
- Mary Jane Purvis
- Cook - Adams Addition
- Nativity Scenes
- Clyde Carruth
- The Mine Tragedies
- Additions To Pampa
- Third Family In Pampa
- Frank Dittmeyer
- Bricklayer Indian Jim
Articles 101-120
- A.A. Tiemann
- First Movies And Lights
- Pampa Incorporated
- Mark And Sara Fletcher
- Annie Baker Daniels
- Pampa's Business District
- Birthday Tea Of 1919
- Former Pampa Minister
- John Mack Patton
- The First Brass Band
- Early Graduating Class
- "How We Met"
- F.P. Greever Is Assassinated
- George Tyng's Father
- L.H. & Lula Greene
- John & Lena McKamy
- Robert & Mary Yeager
- "Dear Old PHS"
- Supt. Believed In People
- William A. & Ruth Green
Articles 121-140
- Jason A and Alice Poole
- Wayside School
- Pampa Football Begins
- The Pampa School Building
- Rev. C. E. Lancaster
- Panhandle Lumber Co.
- Will Wilks & Mora Hughey
- An Unusual Valentine
- Charles A. Tignor
- O. A. Barrett
- Poppies In Flanders Fields
- Barnard & Williams Families
- 4th of July Celebrations
- Cuyler Street Underpass
- The King Family
- Kretmeier and Baer Families
- Stephen B. Oates
- Phebe Worley
- Organization of Gray County
- First Courthouse
Articles 141-160
- Pampa Laid Out in 1902
- Pampa in 1902
- W. R. Kaufman
- The Pampa Country Club
- Living In Pampa in 1902
- Pampa Buildings of 1902
- May Foreman Carr
- Scaffers - Early Residents
- Nita Luna
- Former Sub Debs Reminisce
- PHS In 1932
- PHS Appreciated
- The Forth Worth and Denver
- From Pampa to Childress
- The Origination Of "Taps"
- The Warners
- J. C. Studer
- Floyd, John and Otto
- Our American Flag
- Stories and Memories
Articles 161-180
- Museum in Pampa?
- The Franklin Farm
- The Franklin Family
- Beryl Wayne Vicars
- Historian Made Cookies
- The Pioneer Cottage
- The Orginial Swastika
- Library Clerk
- Women's Clothing Store
- Jon and Pat McConal
- Whitey Walker Gang
- How Rudolph Began
- Gwendolen Avenue
- Jerry Kerbow
- Two Paintings
- Second Part - Paintings
- Bones Hooks
- Original Nativity Figures
- Why "V" Instead of "U"
- Pampa Incorporated