260114-03 Zuni Pueblo Fetish Pottery
Late 20th Century
Size 4.25" H x 6.125" D
Hand Coiled with Crushed Turquoise Covering and 4 Fetishes with Feathers and Twisted Leather
In Very Good Condition
Zuni Pueblo Fetish Pottery with Crushed Turquoise is a distinctive and spiritually significant form of Native American art known as Zuni fetish bowls or fetish jars (also called fetish pots). These are ceremonial or decorative pottery vessels traditionally used by the Zuni people to house and "feed" their sacred fetishes — small, hand-carved stone animal figures believed to contain protective animal spirits that offer strength, healing, courage, and guidance.
These pots are typically hand-coiled, then adorned externally with a layer of finely crushed turquoise (sometimes called turquoise chips or encrusted turquoise). This gives the surface a vibrant, sparkling blue-green mosaic-like appearance, symbolizing sacred elements like blue corn pollen, Father Sky, and the deep cultural reverence for turquoise as a gift from the gods.