This vessel was created to honor one of the smallest creatures found in all parts
of the world, the mouse. It is a small, furry, round-bodied creature that has large
protruding eyes, extremely large ears, long whiskers, and an extra-long, sometimes hairless
tail. For such a small size, it can cause a lot of reactions, both positive and negative.
Some people are deathly afraid of them, and others accept them as part of the natural
order of nature.
 
Their physical characteristics have led them to be considered a humorous symbol, and
they have been depicted in numerous cartoons in that manner. All of their features were
created for a specific purpose, though. They depend on the use of their whiskers to feel
everything and to get them where they are going. Even though the mouse has large eyes, he has notably bad vision, can only see 1 to 2 feet away, and is color blind. The protrusion of the eyes, however, allows them to pick up and motion up to 45 feet away.
Excellent hearing is courtesy of their very large ears, and their sense of feeling, smelling, and tasting are also good. Their noses guide them in their search for food.
 
The tiny mouse is one of the Native American's Animal Symbols. It symbolizes
Humility. It is a very small, humble, innocent, and timid creature that hides when
approached by humans or animals. It is very diligent and highly observant. The mouse
finds great importance in things that might seem insignificant to others. They also tuck
things away to examine and explore them carefully at a later time. Even though the
mouse is timid, it is very defending of its territory and has a highly developed sense of
danger considering the many predators that want to have him for dinner.
 
This small creature is also a Pathfinder. They have the ability to adapt to almost any
environment, digging intricate underground burrows with long entrances and many
escape routes or tunnels. It seems that the architectural design of the burrow is a genetic
trait. They repeat some of the same trails over and over. The mouse and his paths can be
compared to the human and his life's journey. The paths that the mouse creates
represent the real purpose in life. There are twists and turns in his path, and he has to
rely on his instincts and intuitions to make the right turn or decision at the right time.
Since he is small and vulnerable, he must watch for narrowing tunnels or dead ends and
adjust his path so that he remains on the right path and only has a diversion and not an
end to his journey. We must remember, like the mouse, we never have straight, even
paths in our life's journey, and we, too, have to adjust and observe the modern complex
world around us if we are to survive, prosper, and move forward.