Spirit Animal

A strange, carved wooden figure, found in the Skagit River Valley of Washington State. It reads as a cat on first glance, but if so— what an intense cat! With its prehensile tail, long nose, and oddly muscular limbs, maybe it’s supposed to be a lemur, or a binturong, or a gargoyle? Or perhaps, some kind of powerful totemic animal, seen in a dream… Anyway, it has strong outsider vibes, and a good patina. Probably dates to the 1960s or 70s, when there was a lot of creative activity in the Skagit Valley “hippie” communes.