Tom's Shield

• The central skull is a deer skull, symbol of the last track.
• On the forehead of the skull is the coyote paw, Tom's medicine symbol
• The chickadee represents the chickadee philosophy and way of life
• The medicine pipe has four large feathers representing each of the four directions
• The two small feathers hanging from the bowl represent the Great Spirit and the Earth Mother
• The bowl is a symbol of the Earth Mother's bones because it is made of stone
• The stem represents all growing things because it is made of wood
• All the symbols are contained within the sacred circle, representing the never ending circle of life.