Our friend and fetish carver Andy Abeita of Isleta Pueblo was kind enough to share some of his writings with us, and we are proud to share his rendition of the Guardian Fetishes: Six Directional Animals, with you.
And so the Great Spirit commanded-
The Mountain Lion to lead us from the North,
The Bear to guide us from the West
The Bob Cat to come from the South
The Wolf to venture from the East
The Eagle to cover us from the Sky and
The Mole to bring us up to the earth’s surface.
These six Spirit animals are said to carry with them for all eternity our life’s blood. It is through them that the Great Spirit hears our prayers. It is through them that we are taught to use our natural powers-those powers that allow us to endure pain, and the powers that inspire us in goodness and spirit.
As children we are taught the natural antics of our spirit animal in hopes of inspiring us to live a good life, a life of oneness with the earth.
From the Wolf Clan we would be taught the love and respect that a wolf cub offers its parents upon their arrival to the den after a day of hunting.
From the Eagle Clan we might be taught the lesson of always being aware of our surroundings.
From the Mole Clan, to never lose our sense of direction in life, even in darkness.
The Bear Clan exemplifies to us the true power of the physical body and the power of the soul.
The Mountain Lion teaches us the spirit of cunning and resourcefulness in life.
From the Bob Cat we learn to listen to the wind with ears and heart erect for a safe passage in life…
Copyright 1998, Andy P. Abeita, Laborex Enterprises
Shared with permission from the author