Zuni Fetishes

David Chavez clear Baltic amber protective directional set, six pieces 1” to 1-1/2” each, SOLD. Protectors of the six directions are: Eagle, upper; Mole, lower; Mountain Lion, north; Badger, south; Bear, west; Wolf, east. All six have turquoise eyes; badger has incised stripe. Baltic amber is rarely seen in carvings today.

Chris Sandoval chrysocolla mountain lion fetish, 1" high by 3-3/4" long by 7/8" wide, $350. There is a tiny bit of cuprite along the base of the tail, just the beginnings of Sonoran Sunrise.

Hayes Leekya white marble buffalo fetish, 2” high by 3-1/4” long by 1-1/2” wide, SOLD. This hefty boy has a textured mane and carved ivory horns.

 Florentino Martinez pipestone hermit crab fetish c. 2004, 1-3/4” high by 2-1/2” long by 1-3/4” wide, SOLD. This hermit crab has made a home in the shell of a turban snail.

Dee Edaakie sodalite badger fetish, 1” high by 1-3/4” long by 1-3/4” wide, $195. A sturdy badger with a carved central stripe.

Stewart Quandelacy Picasso marble medicine bear fetish, 2-1/2” high by 2-1/2” long by 1/2” wide, SOLD. Vivid, picturesque Picasso marble embellished with Stewart’s six-point turquoise heart line.

Burt Awelagte yttrium fluorite frog fetish, 1” high (to dragonfly) by 2-1/2” long by 1-3/8” wide, SOLD. This frog has captured a white shell dragonfly with his long coral tongue. Burt is Gibbs Othole's nephew.

Maxx Laate textured jet raven fetish, 2-1/4” high by 1-3/4” long by 1-1/4” wide, SOLD. Maxx gave this raven carved eyes and a carved berry in his beak—not an easy task.

Gibbs Othole opalized agate fox fetish, 1-3/8” high by 1-5/8” long by 7/8” wide, SOLD. A smooth purple spiny oyster shell arrowhead is the perfect offering.

David Chavez blue angelite bear fetish, 1” high by 2” long by 5/8” wide, $85. Blue is the cardinal color for the bear, healer and protector of the west.

Manuel Weahkee Arizona pipestone horse fetish, 1-3/8” high by 2-7/8” long by 1” wide, SOLD. We don’t get much of Manuel’s work.

Burt Awelagte clear fluorite corn maiden fetish, 1-1/4” high by 1-1/2” long by 3/4” wide, SOLD. Simple, but very effective the way Burt used the internal markings of the stone to delineate the head and hair.

Faye Eriacho (d) old Fox turquoise table fetishes:  bear 5/8” high by 1-1/8” long; blue fox 3/4” high by 1-1/8” long; wolf 5/8” high by 1-3/8” long, SOLD for all three. Faye was famous for her chunky fetish necklaces, and rarely carved table fetishes. I suspect these were meant to be drilled and strung, but they escaped.

Loren Tsalabutie Picasso marble mountain lion fetish, 1-3/4” high by 3-1/4” long by 1” wide, SOLD. An incredible specimen of Picasso marble.

Evalena Boone bowlerite bear fetish, 1-1/4” high by 2-3/4” long by 1/2” wide, SOLD. A white clam shell arrowhead makes a stunning contrast to the hot pink bear. This material might be thought non-traditional, but it is, in fact, as traditional as any available material used by Pueblo people to express their art, as that has always been their tradition.

Dee Edaakie Afghani travertine bighorn ram fetish, 1” high by 2-1/8” long by 1/2” wide, $150. This is a clear-to-white version of this travertine, usually found in a pale aqua or green shade, but easily identifiable by the charcoal matrix and distinctive refraction lines.

Hudson Sandy blue angelite river otter fetish, 7/8” high by 2-1/4” long by 1-1/2” wide, $280. A rare subject for Hudson.

Curtis Garcia sgraffito black marble bobcat fetish, 1-1/2” high by 2” long by 3/4” wide, SOLD. The sgraffito fur and symbols combine to look like constellations in a night sky.

Fred Bowannie Zuni fluorite bear fetish, 1-1/4” high by 1-1/2” long by 7/8” wide, $150. Sweet little Zuni ice bear!

Dee Edaakie unakite frog fetish, 1” high by 1-3/4” long by 1-1/2” wide, SOLD. The patterning in this unakite is much more widely spaced than usual.

Julius Yuselew (d) clear fluorite coiled rattlesnake fetish, 3/4” high by 1-5/8” long by 1-1/8” wide, SOLD. The only snake by Julius that we have seen.

Loren Tsalabutie tiger’s eye large resting mountain lion fetish, 1-1/8” high by 3-1/2” long by 1-3/8” wide, $650. Tiger’s eye, a type of quartz, is an incredibly hard stone to work, and one that Loren doesn’t often use.  

Leroy Chavez (d) Ojo rock maiden fetish, 1-7/8” high by 5/8” long by 5/8” wide, SOLD. Her features and embellishments are painted, and her hair is textured and stained. A rare prize for your maiden collection.

Rosalia Quam (d) serpentine frog fetish, 3/8” high by 1-3/8” long by 3/4” wide, $300. Mis-identified frog fetishes attributed to Rosalia abound on the internet. This graceful frog is genuine, and almost identical to the one in The Zuni Fetish Museum.

Gibbs Othole sodalite racing horse fetish, 2” high by 2-1/2” long by 1” wide, SOLD. This is Gibbs’s forte: capturing the spirit and movement of an animal doing its thing. This horse is leaning as he corners the barrel race.

Please call 505-243-0414 or email greydog@greydogtrading.com, 
or visit us in Old Town Albuquerque to place your order. 
A portion of all sales by Grey Dog Trading go directly to The Zuni Fetish Museum.