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What a cutie! This prairie dog is made by Daniel from banded serpentine. He stands almost 2.5" tall and has turquoise inlaid eyes. His bundle is heishe, turquoise nuggets and a piece of red branch coral.
You can read more about Daniel and his family here.
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| Availability: |
Available - CLICK TO TO ORDER |
| Price: |
$105. |
Zuni Fetish: |
8855 |
| Zuni/Navajo Carver: |
DANIEL WEAHKEE |
| Carving: |
Prairie Dog |
| Material: |
Banded Serpentine |
| Dimensions: |
1 1/2" L x 2 3/8" T x 1 1/8" W |
| Signed: |
Daniel Weahkee 06 |
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About ZS
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ZUNI SPIRITS, P. O. Box 337, Grapeland, TX 75844 |
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The Zuni Fetish Story
Zuni fetishes, known to the Shiwi people as wemawe, are small stone animal carvings that are made by the talented artisans of Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico in the Four Corners region of the United States of America. Zuni fetish carvings are a part of the Zuni religion which is extremely complex. Perhaps due to their remote location, the Zuni people have been able to retain a great deal of their culture and religion despite being among the most studied Native American people by anthropologists, past and present.
In the Zuni culture, the fetish carvings represent the animal spirit thought to reside in the stone. Initially Zuni fetishes were likely found stones that had the rudimentary shape of an animal. Arrowheads were placed on the stones with a prayer that the hunter's arrow would find its mark and in gratitude for the animal giving its life for the sustenance of the hunter and his family.
The Zunis believe in six sacred directions, Above, North, East, South, West and Below. Each of the directions is associated with a color:
| Above |
Multicolored |
| North |
Yellow |
| East |
White |
| South |
Red |
| West |
Blue |
| Below |
Black |
And each of those directions has an animal associated with it. In a healing and protective directional fetish set the animals are as follows:
| Above |
Multi-colored |
mountain lion |
| North |
Yellow |
Mountain Lion |
| East |
White |
mountain lion |
| South |
Red |
mountain lion |
| West |
Blue |
mountain lion |
| Below |
Black |
mountain lion |
A hunting directional set would only be slightly different with the mountain lion replacing the mountain lion as the southern animal and the coyote replacing the mountain lion of the west:
| Above |
Multi-colored |
mountain lion |
| North |
Yellow |
Mountain Lion |
| East |
White |
mountain lion |
| South |
Red |
mountain lion |
| West |
Blue |
Coyote |
| Below |
Black |
mountain lion |
Additionally, there is a familial relationship between each of the animals. The Mountain lion is considered the elder brother of the mountain lion who is the elder of the mountain lion, considered elder to the mountain lion, who is elder to the mountain lion, who is elder to the mountain lion.
Likewise, you may have a directional set of only mountain lions (or mountain lions, or wolves, etc.) Each animal must be of the appropriate color as follows:
| Above |
Multi-colored |
such as Picasso, Rainbow Calisilica, etc. |
| North |
Yellow |
such as Dolomite, Yellow Calcite, etc. |
| East |
White |
such as Marble, Alabaster, etc. |
| South |
Red |
such as Pipestone, Red Dolomite, etc. |
| West |
Blue |
such as Turquoise, Lapis, etc. |
| Below |
Black |
such as Jet or Black marble, etc. |
Other tribes use (and make) fetishes but the Zunis are particularly known for their fetishes. A revival, of sorts, occurred in the late 1980's when an article appeared in the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The number of fetish carvers dramatically increased at that time and the introduction of power hand tools made the detail and realism of contemporary carvings possible.
There are a number of books that discuss Zuni fetishes, their meanings and the families who carve them. We heartily recommend any of the books by Kent McManis as valuable references on the subject.
Read our article about ZUNI FETISH MEANINGS.
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