Protected by Eagle

This lovely Corn Maiden by Daniel Chattin is protected by the wing of the eagle wrapped around her.  Daniel carved if from shell, so it also carries the energy of the ocean.  The maiden has engraved and blackened eyes and mouth, detailed kernels down her body, and natural red coral under her face.  The eagle is magnificent with engraved and blackened eyes, geometric designs engraved on the body, detailed wings, and a bright blue turquoise dot on its back.  Two dragonflies and additional designs are under the wing.  More about Corn Maidens and eagles below.

Size: 3" H x 2" Diameter

Female corn beings represent all that is good about being a woman: loving, generous, nurturing, kind, strong with great compassion.  In tribes that traditionally grow corn, most of the stories are the similar.  There are many Indigenous stories about how corn was brought to the people at a time when there was hunger, and how a sacred, sometimes other worldly, female being brought them corn.  In Zuni Pueblo, there are three ages of female corn beings: the maiden who wears her hair in the traditional buns on each side, the mother who has one or more babies, and the elder grandmother who wears her shawl over her head. There are dances to honor the female corn beings in many of the Pueblos.  And in other tribes, she is held in a place of great honor.

Raptors have many meanings in Native America.  The eagle is the most sacred since it sees the furthest and flies the highest.  It is considered as a messenger to take our prayers to the Creator.  In Zuni Pueblo, eagles are also the guardian of the sky world.  Hawks have a similar meaning, but not as powerful as the eagle.  For some Indigenous people, hawks are the smaller siblings of eagles.

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.