We love the inlaid work of Stephen Natachu. He's very innovative in creating his fetishes with boldly inlaid attributes. This chunky jet turtle-guy is a real cutie. He has turquoise inlaid eyes and a medallion (for lack of a better word) on his shell inlaid of jet, spiney oyster, turquoise and Mother of Pearl. Traditional and fun. Signed on the bottom.

Stephen is son of Pansy (Halate) and Peter Natachu, Sr. Pansy is Leonard Halate's daughter.

TURTLE: The turtle is a symbol of the earth in most Native American cultures. He is also associated with self-reliance, non-violent defense and being a skillful navigator through life's obstacles. Though he is not a traditional puebloan fetish, he is carved frequently today by many different artisans. Some will carve them in a realistic style and others will employ inlay and sgraffito to decorate the turtle's shell.

Click here to hear "turtle" in Shiwi, - the Zuni Language.