Zuni Turquoise Buffalo Fetish

Meet Hal the turquoise buffalo who is actually a bison. Not one to take his job too seriously, he's a fluffy and happy ungulate. Hal was born at Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico when he was hand carved of turquoise.

He's got thick bison bangs that partially cover one of his eyes. His head is slightly tilted to soften his vibe - he's knows he's a large and imposing creature, so he keeps a smile on is mouth even while his tail swishes to remove those pestering flies.

Bison like Hal are one of the most iconic symbols of the American West because they were supremely important to Indigenous people. They're most associated with Indigenous people from the Plains, but their range did once extend into New Mexico where Zuni Pueblo is located. Sadly, by the 1870's American Bison were decimated. According to Dave Arthun and Jerry Holechek authors of The North American Bison, "In 1880, New Mexico passed a protection law but by that time, the bison were already gone."

Fortunately, in New Mexico today, Taos Pueblo, Sandia Pueblo and Picuris Pueblo are involved in bison restoration efforts.

Zuni bison or buffalo fetishes represent strength, abundance, and even patience and endurance - all good things that we can use more of.

Hal is here to bring you that goodness.

Dimensions: Hal measures 1 3/8" long x 3/4" wide and 1" tall. 

Provenance: Hal comes from the beloved fetish 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.