Zuni Fetish Necklaces: Meaning, Animals, and Jewelry Tradition

Zuni Fetish Necklaces · Field Guide · Symbols & Iconography

Zuni fetish necklaces feature hand-carved animal figures strung on heishi shell or stone strands, produced by Zuni carvers in New Mexico. The six directional guardian animals — Mountain Lion (East), Badger (South), Bear (West), Wolf (North), Eagle (Sky), and Mole (Earth) — are the most recognized forms. Zuni fetish objects used in ceremony are sacred and not discussed here. This page documents the carving and jewelry tradition sold commercially — a practice Zuni artists themselves have developed as a public-facing tradition.

Mateo's Field Notes

Lois Sherr Dubin's account draws on trader Joe Tanner's conversation with David Tsikewa to capture what the fetish tradition holds for its practitioners: "these fetishes were alive at one juncture of time... if you want the fishing ability of a bear, the hunting savvy of a coyote, you get that when you own the fetish, feed it and treat it properly." This testimony — from a Zuni carver speaking about his own tradition — offers a window into the animating logic of the fetish: powerful Southwestern spirits were believed to dwell in rocks that naturally resembled an animal or human, the soul or breath of the spirit inside. The carved fetish draws on and extends that tradition.

Margery Bedinger documented that the Zuni had "long carved in the round little fetish" before the commercial jewelry tradition emerged — placing this craft in a deep historical lineage well before the tourist market took interest. The six directional guardian animals provide the organizing structure that collectors encounter most often: Mountain Lion guards the East, Badger the South, Bear the West, Wolf the North, with Eagle and Mole governing Sky and Earth. Individual carvers bring their own relationships to specific animals — frogs, for instance, are also prominently associated with water and rain in Zuni carving, as documented by the Gasper family's frog fetish work.

Named carvers in the documentary record include Mary Tsikewa, whom Bedinger singled out for fine carving work, and Leekya Deyuse, connected to turquoise fetishes in the Wallace collection — one of the most celebrated Zuni carvers of the twentieth century. The tradition has been developed and shaped by Zuni artists over generations as a public-facing craft, intentionally distinct from ceremonial practice.

Artists in Our Directory

Leekya Deyuse is documented in connection with turquoise fetish carving in the Wallace collection — one of the most celebrated Zuni carvers of the twentieth century. Visit his page for more on his documented legacy.

Mary Tsikewa (named by Bedinger for fine fetish work) and Peter and Dinah Gasper (documented for frog fetishes) are named in our source corpus but do not have directory pages at this time.

Related

• Rainbow Man Symbol in Zuni Jewelry
• Zuni Sun Face Symbol
• Knifewing Symbol in Southwest Jewelry

References

• Dubin, Lois Sherr. North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment. 1999. (DUBIN-99, pp. 277–278)
• Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. 1973. (BEDINGER, pp. 74, 98)
• Lowry. (LOWRY, p. 89)

Explore authenticated Southwest jewelry at T.Skies — pieces by artists in the Zuni carving and silversmithing tradition.