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Messenger of the Puul

Messenger of the Puul
This 9-1/2 foot (life and ½) bronze sculpture is by Curt Mattson. It represents a Cahuilla Shaman receiving a message from the owl, a guardian spirit who can predict future events. The Shaman, called Puul, were able to control the world through instructions, songs, and dances received from animal spirits. Living in perfect harmony with nature, the medicine man of the desert Cahuilla probably received messages from the owl, fox, coyote, bear, and others.

The base of the sculpture sits upon a stamped concrete design of “xwalxwal”, the Cahuilla word for spider. This design can be the spider itself, with its eight legs, or the spider’s web. Legend has it that the first baskets were woven by a creative spider woman, who used slender sticks and grass instead of the tiny fiber of her web.

For more information, please visit www.palmdesertart.org.