Turtle Reminds You

What better way to remember to slow down in the fast paced world?  Just put this turtle in a place you will see to be mindful and taking some breaths and slowing life down for a few minutes.  Lynn Quam carved this turtle from a very interesting piece of serpentine that has white and dark grey matrix.  It has inlaid turquoise eyes and ten turquoise dots on the shell, one in each of the etched segments.

Size: 1" H x 2.5" L x 1.75" W

Turtles have their own homes on their backs which means that wherever they are, they are home.  They are associated with safety.  When attacked they retreat into their shells, although some turtles have strong enough mouths to snap a finger.  For most Native American nations in North America, turtles represent Mother Earth.  Every turtle shell has 13 sections on top which some Native Americans say represent the 13 moons of each year.

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.