Six
Directions Zuni Fetish Carvings
©
2007 Cherry Hill ©
Copyright Information
The
Zuni define their world in terms of directions with their home and village and
its inhabitants in the "Middle Place" at the center of the world.
From there radiate the six directions - the four cardinal directions (North, South,
East West) and the Upper Dimension and the Lower Dimension.
The home is guarded on each side by the animal
guardian of each of the six regions. Often a group of six fetishes representing
the six directions are placed in the home as a set to protect the home.
The hierarchy is as follows:
- The
mountain lion guards the North.
- The bear
guards the West.
- The badger guards the South.
- The wolf guards the East.
- The
eagle guards the Upper Dimension or the Sky.
- The
mole guards the Lower Regions or the Earth.
Various
animals represent certain powers.
- Mountain
Lion - Leadership, Protection for Travelers and Success for Hunters
- Bear
- Soul Strength, Power from Within, Introspection, Healing
- Badger
- Aggressiveness, Perseverance
- Wolf - Teacher,
Pathfinder, Clarity, Survival
- Eagle - Spirit,
Vision, Truth, a link to the Great Spirit
- Mole
- The Protector of the Underworld and Crops, Awareness, Introspection
Some Zuni artists carve
all six fetishes out of one piece of stone – this is a very rare Six
Directions set.
Another
approach is to carve one fetish, say the badger, larger and then to tie
the other five fetishes, carved in a smaller scale, to the badger.
A more common grouping is a display of the
six fetishes, all in approximately the same scale, on a natural setting
such as one made with rocks and wood.
Most
Native American tribes use fetishes in one way or another and many tribes carve
fetishes. The southwestern tribes excel at stone, antler and shell carvings and
the Zuni is the most noted carvers of all the southwestern tribes. Because
of that Zuni fetishes are often very expensive. Very nice carvings by Navajo
carvers are available at more affordable prices. Therefore, we have indicated
all the information we have on each piece in each set. Some sets are made up of
all Zuni carvings, others are a combination of carvings by Zuni
and Navajo artists.
Once you purchase
a set, you can always replace one particular animal with a carving by one of your
other favorite artists.
We
hope that you find a Six Directions Set that speaks out to you and enhances
your home and that you enjoy yours as much as we do ours.
See
6-Directions Sets
