Ukpik (ᐅᒃᐱᒃ): This is the Inuktitut word for snowy owl. Inuit culture often associates the snowy owl with wisdom and guidance, and some believe it escorts the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife. I found this velvet covered beauty on my drive down to Baja in January 2025. Cruising through a snow-covered landscape in Colorado, I glimpsed an antler arch and and Open sign in the window of a taxidermy shop in Afton Colorado. Turned around and headed back. This lovely was one of my treasures from this shop, having been commissioned by a hunter at one point, and then never claimed. It's surprising how often that happens, and why I always try to stop into a taxidermy shop - especially in Colorado or Wyoming!