This Vintage 30" long Zuni necklace features 33 genuine hand carved turquoise animal fetishes and a soft cotton 1/4" wide Grandmother Wrap that's 18" long, The fetish portion of the necklace is slightly more than 16" in length. The large Turquoise Standing Sunface Kachina is approximately 42 mm tall. The smaller fetish animals are approximately 1" to 1.5" wide.
Native Americans believe that a little of an animal's spirit is imbeded with each animal fetish they carve. This necklace boasts four large turquoise walking fetish bears with heart lines in Turquoise, foxes, small bears, wolves, armadillos, Rams, horses, Buffalo and a Central large protective turquoise Sunface Kachina in the center. The Meaning of the animals that are all included in this fetish wreath: Armadillo - Slow, Sure, Gets things right. Keeper of the home. Badger - Aggressiveness, Perseverance, the ability to reach a desired goal. Bear - Strength, Introspection, spiritual journey though life, long life. Buffalo - Endurance to overcome, great emotional courage provider to all. Coyote - Laughter, humor and foolishness, the master trickster who tricks himself. Fox - Camouflage, protection.Hawk - messenger of the gods. Mountain Lion- leadership, resourcefulness. Ram - sense of self worth.Wolf - Teacher, pathfinder, sharing of your knowledge, never ending journey. The Zuni believe that animals are more like the deities and have more power than man.
A fetish is a rock carving of an animal that captures the spirit and the essence of the animal, not necessarily its exact detailed conformation. Handcarved from many types of rock such as Pipestone, Serpentine, Picasso Marble, White Marble, Fishrock, etc.