Bushytails

Jayne Quam carved these two bushytails who are mated for life.  Their life-long love, devotion and commitment holds them beautifully together.  The offering bundle on top has an abalone arrowhead, clam shell, garnet, heishi, and coral.  The yellow bushytail is carved from flourite, and the larger one is carved from marble, and they both have inlaid turquoise eyes. Their faces are nuzzled together so sweetly!  Jayne Quam is Navajo and is married to Zuni carver Lynn Quam.  They are quite the team and sometimes work together on carvings.

Size: 1.675" L x  .875" H x .875" W

Foxes, wolves and coyotes all mate for life.  These life-long bushytails (coyotes, wolves, or foxes) with a card detailing the carving, materials used, and carver's name.  Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal and these will come in a gift box with a pinch of cornmeal to tide them over until they arrive.   

This jet bushytail with inlaid turquoise eyes is looking to the left as if it heard something.  We wonder what it could be?  Herbert Halate carved it from jet and detailed the fur all over its body and detailed the mouth, nose, and paws.  The bundle is a turquoise.  Herbert's mark is on the bottom.

Size: 1.125" H x 3.5" L x .75" W

Wolves, coyotes and foxes all look the same in the distance.  In Zuni there is a word that translates into "bushytail" in English.  You get to determine what this carving looks like to you.

WOLF  Wolves are intelligent, resourceful creatures that live in their own communities called packs.  They have excellent communication skills and are protective of one another.  The leaders of their community are called “alpha” and are usually males and females, although there are known to be alphas that are only females (yay to the matriarchy!).  The alphas are the only wolves in the pack who breed, and they also eat first.  They are the strongest and most intelligent wolves of the group.

FOX  Foxes are playful, clever, quick, and protective of their young.  They also mate for life, and are indigenous to every continent except Antarctica.

COYOTES Coyotes figure prominently in Native American history.  In some tribes, they are powerful creation beings who teach us by doing things that turn out wrong, or even disastrous.  Oftentimes, they have a humorous quality.  In their natural environment they live in packs, hunt together, and protect one another.  Once one hears them yipping at night it is never forgotten.

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.