Fetishes

In 1978 I was badly injured in a plane crash.  My convalescence was slow and steady and I used alternative healing sources such as acupuncture and vegetable juice.  When I finally returned to work, I layed on a picnic table in my office with my phone near my head because my back was immobile.  One day shortly after I returned to work, a Zuni fellow came in to my office placed some fetishes around me, placed his hands on me, and proceeded to chant.  He repeated the process several times a week for about six weeks. 

   Most tribes have fetishes in their culture; but none to the extent of the Zuni people.  Fetishes to them represent directions (6) and creatures that are synonymous with admirable characteristics such as strength, speed, flight, and solitude.  To receive the magic and healing with a fetish, a person places the fetish to his mouth and inhales.

   Fetishes are adored as a reflection of personal care.  Much like a woman wears makeup and earrings, a fetish feels good when it is adorned.  And, like a woman, when it feels good about its care, it is more likely to respond with positive energy for its owner (the fetish, not the woman).  In Zuni, fetishes are owned by individuals and clans.  They typically live in a bowl with turquoise for prosperity, ashes for warmth, and cornmeal for food.  Adornment such as arrowheads do not mean the fetish is for hunting.

   When I started my company, Sunbear Trading, I chose a fetish carved and inlayed by Johnny Shekya as my logo.   It was done as a result of my desire to offer unique fetishes.   He carved the fetish and then inlaid each stone with a Dremel drill.  Soon after Johnny, his surrogate brothers, the Turpen (or Upshaw) brothers picked up on the craft.  Johnny and Ronnie Turpen passed away in the late 80s.  More information on them is in A Good Trade.