Spirited Gifts--the title of this website--refers to the sculpture and carvings shown here, as well as to the spirit, passion, and talents of its creator, Marion Leone WanagiWi.

The title also alludes to the spiritual sources that have helped inspire these works.  Among them are her close relationship with nature and animals; the insights she has derived from the Lakota Indian tradition; and the creative passion that infuses

the skillfully sculpted pieces.

After an eleven year teaching career and a ten year advertising directorship at a

New York City photo/electronics corporation, Marion found her true calling when she relocated to her current home in the woodlands of Northeastern Pennsylvania, overlooking a glacial lake. Living amidst the local flora, deer, and bears that frequent her land, she found herself increasingly involved in Lakota culture and ceremony. During several summers she journeyed to Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations, South Dakota, where she enjoyed time and ceremony learning from the elders. Marion continues to offer ceremony at the integrative spiritual and wellness center that she founded in 1987. Marion is also a Certified Massage Therapist, Counselor, Shamanic Practitioner, and Reiki Master/Teacher, as well as a lecturer on herbal medicines and natural health.

Throughout her life, whatever else she worked at, she continued to be active in various artistic endeavors. While earlier in her career she crafted brilliant stained glass windows and other objects from antique glass, in recent years she has focused on sculptural forms--fashioning abstract carvings from naturally shed deer antlers, and creating jewelry with striking images of animals and mythological subjects, carved on antlers or bone.

Each piece she creates is a unique expression of spirit in form.

Various influences are apparent in the subjects she has chosen for her jewelry and other artworks. In addition to the respect for nature developed through her Native American ties, she was inspired at an early age to understand and bond with animals. The regard she feels for them can be seen in the Photo Gallery exhibited here. The impact of the women's movement, as well as Marion's ongoing study of mythology and ancient cultures, may be discerned in her carvings of goddess images, and her dramatic portrayal of lightning and fire.

Over the years many friends and visitors, seeing her antler sculptures, pendants, and wands, have expressed an interest in purchasing items for themselves or as gifts--often commissioning particular pieces.  Early in 2009, pleased at the enthusiasm shown,

and experiencing a continuing flow of new ideas, Marion decided to make her work more widely available through the Internet.