Featured Zuni Fetishes/Carvings

I got these guys at one of those estate sales with the "home made" signs on the side of the road about a year or 2 ago..
(I find these the most fun to stop at )


The owner was not present at the sale, but I looked him up and he is now almost 90 (I think I recall a family member being there and saying he went to a nursing home).

There wasn't too much in there, just small items LITTERED throughout, a lot of it was items like these, nothing marked with a price

Not knowing how that was going to go and with one (impatient) son in the car and the other needing to be picked up from practice shortly I grabbed a couple vintage pins, some clay marbles, these 3 guys, and a sterling bell for the whopping price of $7.
If my son wasn't texting me from the car reminding me it was time to go, I would have gone back for more

There were more carvings like these, but again, not knowing prices up front I was hesitant to get many because I didn't have time to dicker...


I dont see any signatures on these.
From what I can tell there is a ram, a bear? (With a flipped up tail?), and a badger or fox?

I plan on selling these pieces, and am trying to keep from offending anyone, so my questions are, are these true Zuni pieces?
Would you call them fetishes or carvings?

Any other information?



I'm going to add the other animals in a reply

 

similar Ram ...
https://mudheadgallery.com/zuni-csu-ram-mountain-sheep-rocky-mountain-sheep-heartline-fetish-sold/

This may help with the others. I could not open the link, but I was able to see similar photos ...
https://sunshinestudio.com/

 

hey look to be what you think they are.....and with those price stickers ...likely genuine......

 

Ram with heart line; badger; bear. All with a medicine bundle. Badger & bear look like selenite.

 

Thanks! I was thinking clear quartz, but couldn't find where that was a normal stone they used

 

I refer to my own as carvings because I do not treat them as religious objects. However, if I were selling, would have to include 'fetish' in the description to be sure potential buyers could find them.

 

A dead link says this one is by Ben Livingston.

Artist: Navajo Fetish carver Ben Livingston Medium: Alabaster with turquoise eyes/ turquoise nugget, shell heishe and coral beads with feather offering ...

 

Thought so. Ben Livingston is Navajo. The feather in the bundle made me suspect. Other 2 may still be Zuni.

 

Great haul, Seagoat, and these are charming.
I also call them carvings, but add fetish when selling them, and say that they weren't used as spiritual fetishes.

As far as I know a tail bent back over the animal's back means mountain lion.
The ram is usually called a Bighorn sheep. And the one with the big tail is indeed a badger.

 

I so believe you are correct about the mountain lion, I've found several bear looking mountain lions, most identical is this listing
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2849668000...BEZpCLcQTO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

My mother wintered in Sedona Az. and Collected many of the fetishes over the years. The native Americans called them fetishes. The quartz ones were not so common in the area . My mother had a jeweler turn one of the fetish into a pendant back in the early 80's because she could not find any as pendants. After that many of the fetishes in the area started showing up as pendants. I have probably 30 fetishes and pendants but no quartz. They are scattered around the house and in jewelry boxes. Yours look like the real thing and that is a correct price for a signed fetish.

 

Beautiful collection @Lark . I see they also have some Japanese visitors.

 

and perhaps an alaskan polar bear....

 

Yes I picked up the ivory polar bear. the seal on the rock and the ivory bird for $1.00 each in the 90's.

 

Love those crystal ones, I’ve never seen them made from a clear stone before. They are nicely made. I have some turquoise ones and had a whole necklace made of turquoise fetishes that I sold for good money a while back. I paid good money for it too but for better money.