Today I thought I would give a little information on Zuni fetishes. I first thought about diving right in and talking about the Buffalo and its importance in carvings and fetishes, but I think it best to first give some information on fetishes and carvings in general. In the traditional sense, Zuni fetishes are small carvings made from various materials by the Zuni Indians. These carvings serve a ceremonial purpose for their creators and depict animals and icons integral to their culture. As a form of contemporary Native American art, they are popular worldwide.
Zuni fetishes depict animals such as the wolf, badger, bear, mountain lion, eagle, mole, frog, deer, ram, and many others. There are many more animal subjects used by today’s contemporary carvers that may include insects, non US native animals such as lions, or even animals of the oceans such as sharks; these would be considered non-traditional. Other animals, such as the horse, were carved mainly for trade. The Zuni was not a horse culture but their horse carvings were considered by the horse cultures to the north as having great power for the protection of their herds.
If you’d like to see some of these wonderful carvings right away, you can see some fantastic examples Turquoise Canyon, www.turquoisecanyon.com
More to come…