Native American Zuni Indian Magpie Fetish Carving

What is a Fetish? - A fetish is a rock carving of an animal that captures the spirit and the essence of the animal, not necessarily its exact detailed conformation. Read more about fetishes.

Jet (Acoma Jet) - A solid, durable type of lignite coal that originated from wood material. It is mined around the Acoma Pueblo region, among other places, thus the name Acoma Jet. It is very popular with Indian artists for carving fetishes. It is also used for inlaying jewelry but usually is not used in jewelry stone sets. Read about stones.

Magpie - Aggressively intelligent and sporting strikingly handsome plumage, magpies have long been admired favorites of Native Americans. Along with crows and ravens, magpies have the largest brains among birds. And like his cousins, Magpie is a Trickster. Magpie often steals food from under the noses of other animals, sometimes working in pairs or groups to distract unwitting victims. As well as having the reputation as a crafty mischief-maker Magpie is also known as a doer of good deeds and a formidable rival. An Indian warrior who wore two magpie feathers in his hair was considered both fierce and fearless.