Soothing Turtle

This soothing turtle was made by Danette Laate.  She carved it from a beautiful piece of dolomite in serene colors and inlaid a Sunface on the back.  The Sunface is inlaid jet, turquoise, and coral, and has four inlaid dots in the cardinal directions.  As with all of Danette's carvings, this one is also well detailed.  More about turtles below.

Size: .375" H x 1.875" L x .875" W

Turtles have their own homes on their backs which means that wherever they are, they are home.  They are associated with safety.  Some species of sea turtles travel up to 8,000 miles in their migrations.  They can hold their breath longer under water than any air breathing creature, and some of them even sleep under water.  Unfortunately, they are endangered due to climate change warming the seas.

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.