Vintage Turquoise Fox Fetish

Meet Thomesa the turquoise fox. Thomesa is a vintage hand carved turquoise fetish from Zuni Pueblo here in New Mexico.

She's a bit of an old-fashioned fox but still sly as can be. She wears a big medicine bundle on her back with sacred materials of turquoise, coral and an abalone arrow. Her bundle provides healing, protection and strengthening of prayers. She's proud of her gorgeous looks, for what could be more important than to be made of turquoise.

Notice her little teeny inlaid coral eyes and the vein of copper that runs down one side of her sweet body. She has the cutest carved feet and tail.

Thomesa lived for many years with a Seattle woman, who delighted in Thomesa and called her "my tiny treasure." She measures 2" long and 1 1/8" tall.

For the Zuni people, fetish carvings represent much more than a simple object, for they're the powerful spirit of the carved animal. Different animals have different attributes. Ceremonial Zuni fetishes are used for healing and other sacred needs.

Foxes like Thomesa are known for their cunning, adaptability, and their keen senses which help them avoid danger. Importantly, fetishes like Thomesa are not ceremonial and they're made for us to admire, enjoy, and use as our own talisman. 

Perhaps you place Thomesa on a shelf or a bedside table and smile every time you see her. Maybe you carry her with you for protection. She'd also make a special gift for a loved one. She's a fox, so she's ready and able to adapt to what you need.

Even though we don't have documentation on Thomesa's original carver, we have some very interesting provenance information. She comes from the collection of a beautiful woman who grew up in Germany during World War II. Post war, she moved to the United States and became a model in New York City. She eventually married, left her modeling career, and moved to El Paso with her husband. In El Paso, she first experienced the charm of Native American art and jewelry. 

Many years later, she attended her first of several celebrated Native American art field trips hosted by Martha Struever. During this time, she expanded her collection of Native American art and jewelry. He collection wasn't vast, but it was extremely meaningful to her.

After a long and full life, this dear woman recently passed away. She knew that her collection which she lovingly called her "treasures" was to be handled by Turquoise & Tufa, and she expressed her wishes that these dear fetishes would bring as much joy to us as they did to her.