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Welcome to Sunshine Studio's Cyber Monday End-Of-The-Year-SALE/LINK. We are offering 20% Off On Six Directional Sets, Six Directional Figures as well as 20% off on all available Six Directional Animals. That means 20% off on all Badgers, Bears, Eagles, Moles, Mountain Lions and Wolves - that are all conveniently placed on this page. The Discount will Occur Automatically when you are checking out.
November 27TH at 9 AM, MST - Midnight, December 10TH. ENJOY!
Zuni society recognizes six cardinal directions. Each direction is represented by an animal of a particular color; the animal is the guardian of its regions and is the master of the medicine powers for that region. Each animal has a different power and the choice of animal depends on the purpose for which the fetish is intended. We are listing below the Healing Fetish Directional Set. The set represents the six animals the Zuni revere and the directions they represent, the color of the stone that the Zuni use to depict the directional animal and finally the animal's medicine power:
West - Bear (blue): For the Zuni, the bear is an animal endowed with strength, adaptability, courage and healing powers - in both the physical and spiritual realm. Elder brother of the badger, the bear assumes the western direction in a protective directional set and is associated with the color blue. White bears are regarded as particularly potent healers. The bear’s association with healing may have stemmed from its ability to hibernate during seasonal changes in order to conserve its food supply and energy.
South - Badger (red): The badger is a tenacious and stout omnivore - representing the southern direction in the directional set, and is associated with the color red - often carved in pipestone, dolomite, or onyx. The Zuni believe because the badger possesses knowledge of roots and medicinal plants and herbs, the badger is knowledgeable in curing illness and injury. Badgers are attributed with passion, control, persistence as well as earthiness, and are associated with the sun. The Badger Clan, one of Zuni's major clans, is entrusted at the winter solstice to encourage the sun to return from its southern sojourn. Carvers would seem to relish depicting the badger's telltale stripe, often carving from a carefully chosen piece of rock that has a vein perfectly placed to represent the stripe.
East - Wolf (white): The wolf is a member of the healing directional set, regarded by the Zuni, to be a younger brother of the bobcat and the guardian of the east. As a social predator living and hunting within the family group of the pack, the wolf naturally represents loyalty to family and tribe, and is viewed as both teacher and pathfinder. The wolf's wide territory and ability to communicate over long distances make it a particularly apt emblem for life's never ending journey. The wolf's commensal relationship with humans as well as its direct ancestry to the modern day dog establish it positively in Zuni culture as man's steadfast ally, and in some cases, his watchdog. Most often associated with the color white, the wolf is frequently carved in white marble, alabaster or selenite, and carvers often portray it in a stalking pose, with alert small triangular ears, and in contrast to the coyote, with a tail that hangs.
North - Mountain Lion (yellow): The reclusiveness and stealth of this large cat establish it in Zuni mythos as a totem of independence, agility, strength & choose-to-follow-me-or-not leadership. As a guardian to the northern direction, the mountain lion offers protection from northerly threats such as winter. This lithe predator is often carved in yellow or golden stones such as dolomite or calcite, and in keeping with the style of the earliest, more primitive mountain lion carvings, Zuni artistic convention is to carve the mountain lion's tail up over it's back. The mountain lion enjoys the prestige of being one of the most capable predators, and therefore conveys to man a spirit to refine goals, preserve, and achieve.
Upper/Zenith Region - Eagle (multiple colors): As a mighty inhabitant of the sky, the eagle naturally assumes the direction of the zenith in the six-directional set. The raptor's power, strength, and dynamic grace earn it high regard in Zuni culture - the eagle is at once teacher, creator and loyal intuitive. Because of its ability to freely survey the land below from the sky above, the eagle is the intermediary between humans and the great divine. The eagle is the messenger to the Creator; he's the guardian protector of the cosmos. The eagle represents conscious enlightenment and clarity; his medicine brings perspective of one's self - enabling vision of situations from all sides.
Lower/Nader Region - Mole (black): Another subterranean dweller is the mole - who is an unassuming protector of crops and the guardian of the underworld. Not surprisingly, the mole is associated with the underworld in the directional set and the color black, so is often carved in jet or black marble. Moles are beneficial and serve to remind us of life's subtle changes and incremental progressions. The Zuni further believe moles to be intermediaries between humans and the powers of the netherworld. Moles are truly blind, but carvers frequently choose to give them eyes.
NOTE: Whomever pays first for a sale item in their shopping cart will be the one to receive it. You can add carvings made by deceased carvers or non-sale items, you simply won't receive the discount.
