Double Strand Tsikewa Zuni Fetish Necklace [SOLD]

The delicate fetishes in this necklace, which number 30 per strand for two strands, were carved from a variety of stones and shell and the brown hieshe was handmade from shell.  Twenty-nine of the fetishes are birds, in graduated sizes, and a single fetish is an animal.  The strands are secured at the ends with a handmade silver clasp.  There is a small silver tag strung into the necklace with the stamped name David. Tsikewa's fetishes, once $1 each, now command as much as $100 each.

David Tsikewa brought a previously unseen delicacy to the art of fetish carving. His pieces have a sweet, gentle quality that distinguishes them from the works of his contemporaries.  Born in 1915, David passed away from a heart attack in 1971.  He learned silversmithing from the renowned Horace Iule in about 1937 and by the mid-1940s was carving small fetishes for necklaces at the request of Ruth Kirk of the well-known Gallup, New Mexico, trading family.  Although he continued silversmithing, he began focusing on carving fetishes by the mid-1950s.

According to fourth-generation Indian trader Joe Tanner of Gallup, David Tsikewa and Leekya Deyuse were the top of the heap of fetish carvers in the last half of the 20th century.

Condition: this Double Strand Tsikewa Zuni Fetish Necklace is new condition

Provenance: Gifted to a granddaughter of Anita and Popovi Da of San Ildefonso, who does not wear it for fear of damaging the birds, and who decided to part with it.

Recommended Reading: check the biography of David Tsikewa on Adobe Gallery website for more information on the artist.