Mysterious Mole

Zuni carver, Alex Tsethlikai, carved this Mysterious Mole from Mexican onyx and inlaid turquoise eyes.  Its face, feet, and tail are all well detailed.  The offering bundle has a long, narrow azurite and malachite arrowhead with white clam shell, turquoise, and coral beads on top. 

Imagine living where the roots and mycelium grows and having keen senses that don't depend on your eyes to know your environment.  Mysterious indeed!  More about moles below.

Size: .875" H x 2.5" L x 1" W

Moles are mainly underground creatures.  They hold a special place for many Native Americans as guardians of Mother Earth.  Some of them can barely see, yet they navigate their way through the dark earth with great skill.  Currently seen by many people as pests, they have the important role of keeping the underground aerated.  They lived undisturbed for hundreds of thousands of years before humans arrived.

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.