Zuni Pueblo Katsina Fetish Carved from Antler and Embellished with Jewelry [SOLD]

This Katsina fetish was carved from deer antler at some unknown date in the mid- to late-twentieth century. The antler was then darkened in pigment and the fetish dressed in a leather manta and adorned with a waist tie of turquoise, coral and hieshe, and augmented with a beautiful mother-of-pearl adornment.  Which katsina is represented is not known.

The purpose of fetishes that represent  katsinas is not known outside the Pueblo Nations, however, it is likely that they serve the same purpose as animal fetishes, that is, they are a plea by Zuni for special favors.  

Condition: this Zuni Pueblo Katsina Fetish Carved from Antler and Embellished with Jewelry is in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of Dr. Florence Hawley Ellis of Albuquerque, passed to her daughter and then to her granddaughter, the current owner. Florence Hawley Ellis (1906–1991) worked as both an ethnologist and archaeologist teaching at the University of New Mexico starting in 1934, teaching courses on archaeology and cultural anthropology, until her retirement  in 1971.

Recommended Reading: Zuni Fetishism by Ruth F. Kirk

Relative Links: Zuni Pueblo, katsina doll, Zuni katsina dolls