Starfish and Shells Pictured item contributed by Matilda Essig, artist, Tucson. It symbolizes the wealth of marine life in the Sea of Cortez that is vitally connected to our desert ecosystem. Feather and Peyote Pin Feather from a military macaw, a bird found in southeastern Sonora, northeastern Sinaloa and southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. Peyote Pin was an anonymous contribution from a Native American. Made by an elderly Cocapah woman from the West Reservation outside of Somerton, Arizona.
Turtles represent the Colorado River.
It could also be representative of the desert tortoise. The beadwork is representative of the arts and crafts of the Cocopah in the U.S. and the Cucupa in Mexico.