Meet Dee Edaakie, Zuni Pueblo fetish carver.

Today, we met with Dee Edaakie, one of our favorite Zuni carvers. We enjoy Dee both because of his superb and inventive carving and because he is a genuinely nice person. He came to our Santa Fe casita, accompanied by his young daughter. We purchased four carvings from him, and induced him to tell you about them in this video.



We hope that getting to know the carvers we work with and who we support will give you an even better sense of what Zuni fetish carvings are about. You will see more of Dee Edaakie's work and that of other carvers at ZuniLink, our web site featuring these outstanding works and the artists that create them.

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Six directions carvings by Brian Yatsattie, Zuni Pueblo, tribal art carver

Images of six directions sets by Brian Yatsattie are posted below.

While in Santa Fe earlier this summer, we encountered the work of Zuni Pueblo Carver, Brian Yatsattie. We had not carried his work before. We were struck by the appeal of his six directions sets carved from antler.

Then, as we walked through the Santo Domingo Pueblo Market, we turned the corner to find him sitting in his booth with his young child on lap.

We were able to convince him to wholesale some of his work to us. After returning to Florida, we received a phone call that he was ready to send us some of his six directions Zuni fetish sets. Three of them later arrived in the mail. We purchased two of them, the third being very similar.

One of the the sets portrayed the six protectors with robes and feathers carved into the bases. The other set had the creatures wrapped in blanket-style robe carving.As background, six directions sets are carved by a few Zuni Pueblo carvers.

They include the eagle, protector of the sky; the bear, protector of the West; the mole, protector of the underworld; the badger, protector of the South; the mountain lion, protector of the North; and the wolf, protector of the East.

In Zuni belief, these animals represent the spiritual strength and power of the ancients. To have them on your side, is to protect yourself from harmful influences.

The eagle brings spirit, vision, truth, and connection withthe Great Spirit.

The mountain lion stands for leadership, traveler protection and success at the hunt.

The bear represents strength of soul, inner power, introspection and healing.

The badger is known for aggressiveness and perseverance.

The wolf is considered the teacher, the pathfinder, the source of clarity and survival.

The mole protects the crops.

Recently, at our request for a taller set, Brian Yatsattie sent us another set of six directional animals. Whereas the first two sets stood about 3 1/2" tall, the new set's creatures are 7" tall.Now, if you are interested in these sets, and in looking more closely at the individual pieces in each set, make a visit to our ZuniLink web site and click on the link to six directions carvings

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Who is Emery Eriacho?

Emery Eriacho is one of the most productive fetish carvers at Zuni.

But he didn’t grow up there. His childhood home was in Southern California.

As a teenager, Emery came across some Zuni bear carvings in a nearby shop. He was so taken by them that he decided to move back to Zuni and become a carver.

His success in that endeavor is apparent in the beauty and abundance of his work.

Emery’s early mentors were Andres Quam and Daisy Natewa. Traces of that past can still be seen in his work.

But he certainly has established his own style and following.

We have many of Emery’s carvings in stock and many customers who collect his work, especially his bears.

A hallmark of his work is his ability to find the finest quality stones, be they turquoise, malachite, serpentine, Picasso marble, pipestone (Catlinite) or others.

This is accentuated by a deft handling of the stone to find the most moving presentation of the stone’s grain or matrix.

The bear is widely regarded as a creature of healing. With his special gift, Emery is able to transmit that spirit to any owner who seeks and believes in it.

Occasionally, Emery is assisted by his wife, Glenetta, who polishes and secures the offering bundles, and his brother Jeff., who helps with polishing. More and more, however, Jeff Eriacho is doing his own carvings. He is following the tradition of creativity trail-blazed by Emery.

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Offered as an informative service by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its related online galleries: ZuniLink, TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink and Native-JewelryLink.

You are invited to visit all, but especially the three pages of Emery Eriacho carvings at ZuniLink.

Thank you.

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