The accompanying figures are a mountain lion (the chief predator in the region) and two serpents (carved from cottonwood roots), representing agents of communication with the earth and the seasonal cycle of fertility. Curved wooden throwing sticks for rabbit hunting complete the ensemble. Testimony to the antiquity and endurance of the worship of earth and sky and to the spiritual bonds between people and animals, these objects bear close resemblance to ritual figures and implements still used today among the diverse Pueblo peoples.
Note the similarity to present-day Zuni fetishes. This one appears to be carved from cottonwood wood.
unknown Mogollon artisans. Photo by museum
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/55249/ritual-cache">https://www.artic.edu/artworks/55249/ritual-cache</a>