“Shoshoni Monarch”

“We created Shoshoni Monarch for a collector who owns a ranch in northeastern Wyoming…Our son Josh, helped us enlarge this monumental moose, which has horns patinated with silver nitrate and some of the finest sgraffito drawings we have ever done.

On the moose’s right side is a large snake with human figures inside it, representing reincarnation. On the front of the moose’s shoulder there is an eagle catcher – a man who, having caught an eagle, flies through the air holding onto it. All down the moose’s side are ghost fliers – creatures that we use to represent the spirits of the departed. Human figures and deer dancers, which exemplify humankind’s interconnection with the animal world, are drawn across the moose’s rump. The shield-mask represents the sun.

On the other side of the moose is a winged eagle-bear, followed by hands and a fish…Navajo legend tells that upon death, a person enters the Rio Grande to be reborn as a catfish, which is sacred to them. Our fish is speaking words of wisdom…There is also a snake symbolizing adventure, and a man with a shield representing another deity.”

– Rebecca Tobey – Excerpt from “Partners in Art”