DT White River Turtle Card

Turtle--Keya

Represents: Protection and Longevity

The turtle is very sacred to the Lakota. Turtle shells and amulets protect the women and little girls in particular. One of the first gifts of a baby Lakota girl receives is a turtle shell or amulet for her well being and health. She will carry the turtle throughout her life time. 

This scene depicts a box turtle along the White River. He appears pastel in color because he is coated with the silt of the badlands dirt carried by the river. Along the river are cottonwood trees and badlands with a small storm building on the horizon. 

The White River, named for its creamy white color which occurs as it collects Oligocene sediments as it weaves through the prairie. The river carved the South Dakota Badlands over the millennia into what we see today.