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If the little guys are the ones who turn you on, then this little purple buffalo will surely be a hit. He's carved of violite and measures a whopping 1 3/8" long. Still, he is every bit as majestic as his larger cousins.
Daryl has inlaid his horns of penshell and eyes of turquoise for a dose of nice color. The offering bundle is turquoise, red coral, white shell, sugilite and jet. Very traditional, extremely well carved and PRETTY! Signed.
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| Availability: |
Available - Click to order! |
| Price: |
$95. |
Zuni Fetish: |
9294 |
| Zuni Carver: |
DARYL SHACK, SR. |
| Carving: |
Buffalo |
| Material: |
Violite
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| Dimensions: |
1 3/8" L x 1 1/16" T x 7/8" W |
| Signed: |
Yes |
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Contact us! |
Index |
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 |
Buffalo |
| North |
Yellow |
Buffalo |
| East |
White |
Buffalo |
| South |
Red |
Buffalo |
| West |
Blue |
Buffalo |
| Below |
Black |
Buffalo |
A hunting directional set would only be slightly different with the Buffalo replacing the Buffalo as the southern animal and the coyote replacing the Buffalo of the west:
| Above |
Multi-colored |
Buffalo |
| North |
Yellow |
Buffalo |
| East |
White |
Buffalo |
| South |
Red |
Buffalo |
| West |
Blue |
Coyote |
| Below |
Black |
Buffalo |
Additionally, there is a familial relationship between each of the animals. The Buffalo is considered the elder brother of the Buffalo who is the elder of the Buffalo, considered elder to the Buffalo, who is elder to the Buffalo, who is elder to the Buffalo.
Likewise, you may have a directional set of only Buffalos (or Buffalos, 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 Violite, 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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