Vintage Zuni Coral Bear Fetish With Turquoise Bundle

Traditionally, Zuni fetishes are meant to represent the spirit of the carved animal for ceremonial purposes. Non-ceremonial fetishes like this one are meant to be works of art that can also serve as meaningful totems.

This vintage standing bear Zuni fetish appears to be filled with meaning even upon first glance. He's hand-carved of coral in a simpler design, much like much older fetishes, yet he's somehow abounding with spirit and soul. Just look into his inlaid turquoise eyes.

For the Zuni people, bear fetishes like this one represent power, courage and strength, just as you might imagine. Bear fetishes are also one of the all-important directional fetishes that guard one of the SIX cardinal directions. Bears are guardians of the west. 

On his back he carries a hand-carved turquoise arrowhead which is his medicine bundle that provides healing, protection and strengthening of prayers.

There's something truly majestic and captivating about this guy. It's something you feel when you look at him. He's signed on the bottom, but it's nearly impossible to read.

Dimensions: Standing bear fetish is 2 1/4" tall x 5/8" deep and 1" wide. 

Provenance: He 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. Her 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.