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Different creatures, different stones, different carvers (artists), each fetish is a unique object of art. In the past decade or so the Zuni craftsmen have been given to a certain refinement in their task, and the craft has progressed and is progressing to a finer art.
In that regard one appreciates the aesthetic properties inherent in the carving and the individualism of the artist that it reflects. There is, however, a certain mystery that abides in every carving, and many collectors have commented that they where given to a particular piece because it "talked" to them.
Aesthetic properties aside, this phenomenon is indicative of the mysterious power that resides in every carving and its manifestation cannot be said to be the object intention of the artist. As Frank Hamilton Cushing observed, and later Tom Bahti, to a Zuni the power inherent in a fetish lies in its similarity to a
"natural concretion", and that any alterations by man to such an occurance in nature detracts from its inherent powers.
I was informed by a Zuni carver that when he first began carving fetishes for the art market he gave little notice to detail in order to preserve the powers of the stone, and even had his grandfather, who was a priest, bless the pieces before he sold them, for it was his belief that fetishes were procured by collectors not only for their aesthetic qualities,
but for the power they believed to abide in them. He felt it was his responsibility to provide that power. But, he lamented that his grandfather became ill after a while, and had been weak and tired for many years. It was his feelings that his grandfather had "given away" all his power and that that would also be his destiny. He concluded by stating that he no longer ignores matters of detail
and aspires to creating the most finely detailed carvings that he can, in the process removing all the mystery of the stone so that the collector can provide it with "their own power" (
/ale
).
So, it is not difficult to appreciate the fine productions of the Zuni craftsman for all their beauty, but the next time you find that you cannot resist because a fetish carving has talked to you,
you must ask yourself wherein lies the power that evokes and reflects your faith and will to believe.
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