Cosmic Mountain Lion

Leland Boone and Daphne Quam carved this cosmic mountain lion from surfite which is surfboard resin.  There are parts who resemble to night sky, parts which are clear, parts which have depth into what looks like snow covered stone, and parts which are layers of swirled colors.  It has inlaid red coral eyes and an offering bundle of a spiny oyster shell arrowhead with two turquoise beads on top.  More about mountain lions below.

Size: 2.875" H x 3.25" L x .675" W

In Zuni Pueblo, mountain lions are the guardians of the north, which is where wisdom lives.  They are sleek hunters who are primarily solitary predators, and in Zuni, they are the leaders of all of the hunting animals.  Full of grace, they move through life silently and with great power until they want you to hear them.

Traditionally, Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal.   Each Zuni fetish comes in a box with a descriptive card and a tiny bit of corn meal to tide them over until they reach you.