Overview
Purpose
The purpose of the facility is to provide source of molted eagle feathers to Zuni Tribal Members for religious use, Our Sanctuary has been sanctioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (Permit No. 000398), and was constructed with technical and logical assistance from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The project was funded entirely with private donor funding and extensive donations of time and material from the Zuni Community.
Awards
- The American Institute of Architects Design Merit Award
- Harvard University's Honoring Nations "High Honors" Award
Design
The Sanctuary was designed by architects Claude Armstrong and Donna Cohen with reflections from the natural surroundings of Zuni. It has a 100' x25' x18' (high) flight area and four smaller areas for flightless birds. The facade is made from locally quarried Zuni sanstone, and the lumbar on the ends is from sustainably harvested trees, which were milled at the former Zuni Community Sawmill. The substrate is river-washed pea gravel, and mews have sufficient areas of both sun and weather protection. The front of the facility faces towards Dowa Yalanne, a sacred mesa for the Zuni people. in November of 1999, the American Institute of Architecture recognized the facility with a special award for design excellence.
