ZUNI 
LINK
Your Link to Fine Zuni Fetishes
and Fetish Carvings
on everything we sell
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Hi
Why not add the power and protection of a
Zuni fetish carving to your collection?
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William & Susanne Waites,
a quarter
century of trust
& experience in tribal arts.
Emery Eriacho
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Art
of the First Person
Jayne Quam
Lena Boone
Primary carvings reflect the six directions of the Zuni world.
The mountain lion is the hunter and protector of the North. The wolf is the hunter and protector of the East. The badger is the protector of the South. The bear is the protector of the West. The eagle is the protector of the Sky. The mole is the protector and hunter of the underground. The hunter of the South is the bobcat. The hunter of the West is the coyote.
Abby Quam
Jeff Tsalabutie
Each direction also is associated with a color that, when combined with the animal, invests a fetish carving with additional power. North is yellow. East is white. South is red. West is blue. Sky is all colors. Underground is black. But all animals are carved in all different colors depending on available materials and the carver's inspiration.
Kaamassee
Other animals also are carved, including frogs, turtles and snakes. Other carvings represent domestic animals such as cows, sheep, goats and horses. Historically, these contained protective power for the herds and flocks of the Navajo, for whom Zunis carved them.
In more recent times, more fanciful creatures also are carved in order to serve a growing number of collectors, who bring their own individual sensibilities, interests and beliefs to the art and collecting of fetish carvings.
Gasper family
Lynn Quam
Daniel Chattin
Different animals are associated with different powers.
Mountain lions are ferocious protectors and agile hunters. The wolf is cunning and committed. The eagle has vision and closeness to the heavens. The mole is associated with the curative powers of roots and herbs close to the ground. Bears, the most commonly carved animals in Zuni, represent healing and strength. The badger embodies staying power. Frogs bring fertility and abundance. Turtles are harbingers of long-life. Snakes, with their zigzag bodies, are associated with the power of lightning.
Quandelacy family
Hayes Leekya
Many fetish carvings include "offerings," also known as power packs and medicine bundles. They are added to the carving, usually with sinew, to placate the spirit of the animal and to add to its power. Turquoise, coral, other stones and heishi represent the offering, while arrowheads in shell, turquoise or other materials boost the carving's power. Some carvings include what is called a "heart line". This line usually has a an arrow point at the end and is inlaid or painted on the animal, running from the mouth to the approximate area of the heart. Some experts relate this to the lightning of the creation time. Others believe it is a pathway to the power of the special animal.
Salvador Romero
Kenny Chavez
Some carvers create sets of protectors or hunters from the same type of stone. Others carve the protectors into a single stone. Wilfred Cheama is particularly adept at this kind of carving. Jayne Quam, on the other hand, is known for her sets that attach a set of five protectors to the back of a larger mole. Fitz Kiyite also does six-direction sets on the backs of various protector creatures such as badgers, bears, wolves and eagles. These are but three of some 200 hundred Zunis who now carve fetishes.
Melvin Sandoval
For links to
other sites
Among the most prolific carvers are Lena Boone and her family, Evalena Boone and Leland Boone. Members of the Gasper family also are very productive, with work by Dinah Gasper, Peter Gasper, Debra Gasper and her husband Ray Tsethlikai. The Sheches have a strong carving tradition, as do the Poncho family. Quams and Quandelacys are well known and well respected among fetish carving collectors. Emery Eriacho is a young carver who is very adept at carving bears that make the most of the stones in which they are resident.There are many, many more - too many to mention here. But worthy of special recognition for the uniqueness, fine detail and power of their work are Ricky Laahty, Jeff Tsalabutie, Gibbs Othole, Dee Edaackie, Derrick Kaamasee, Travis Lasiloo and Esteban Najera. To all the others that have been overlooked here the writer extends his apologies.
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The materials used for these carvings include abalone, alabaster, alunite, amazonite, amber, angelite, antler, apple coral, aventurine, azurite, black marble, calcite, cedar, covellite, chrysocolla, dolomite, fluorite, fossil, fossilized ivory, shell, gaspeite, glass, ironwood, jasper, jet, labradorite, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, malachite, mother of pearl, green snail, onyx, opal, paint rock, Picasso marble, pipestone, pyrite, rainbow calsilica, rhodochrosite, sandstone, selenite, septarian nodule, serpentine, snowflake obsidian, soapstone, sodalite, sugilite, tagua nut, tiger's eye, travertine, turquoise, variscite, and zebra stone. New stones are constantly being discovered and carved.
Finally, the tradition of fetish carving has migrated to other tribes as well. Navajo carvers such as Stewart Alonzo are creating fetish carvings. Isleta carver, Andy Abeita, has established his work as highly collectable.
Cochiti brothers, Wilson Romero and Salvador Romero, have built a following among collectors who respond to the natural qualities of their work. From lakota Sioux comes the work of Delbert Charging Crow. Melvin Sandoval is from San Felipe but is married to a Zuni woman. Lionel Sanchez also is San Felipe and is married to a Cochiti woman, Wilson Romero's daughter. Sammy Smith is Navajo. All these carvers are worthy in their own rights.
Beware, however, of carvings by non-Indians and imports from Mexico, the Far East and the Philippines that masquerade as Native American carvings. When shopping for carvings, be careful to ask your source for assurances that the carvings you are considering are what you think they are. Any reputable source will guarantee the authenticity of your purchase.
For more information about Zuni Pueblo, Zuni carvers and Zuni traditions, click this link to visit a page of recommended book selections.
Zuni Link is operated by
Aboriginals: Art of the First Person
in Fort Myers, Florida
239-482-7025 or 800-305-0185
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