How did fetishes find their way to around your neck?

Fetishes are inanimate objects made of wood, stone, shell, bone, pottery, or other materials, that are believed to have power and to bring this power to their human owners.

Among Native Americans, and most specifically the Zuni, fetish carvings started out as stone creatures that bring protective powers to their owners. Other Native American tribes, such as the Navajos, adopted the the traditions and also carve animals representing creatures with protective powers. In addition, there are notable carvers at Cochiti.

Similarly, as the idea of carving smaller creatures and stringing them on strands of heishi achieved popularity, other Native American people began to create fetish necklaces.

Fetish necklaces became desirable to non-native people in the last half of the 20th century. Most fetish necklaces are made for collectors who are not indigenous peoples. In addition to the Zuni, fetish necklaces are made by carvers from other tribal groups. The Santo Domingo people create necklaces only with birds. Santo domingo also is the source of genuine heishi, very finely card spacers that populate the necklace strands. Since fetishes are not characteristic of the Navajo culture, Navajo carvers produce fetishes mostly for collectors.

Zuni work usually is cleanly carved and well proportioned. Creatures tend to be rounded, rather than flat. Birds frequently are carved as the shell curves. Early Zuni fetish necklaces frequently featured elongated birds.

Santo Domingo carvers, for sacred reasons, only carve birds. “Flying hawks” are most characteristic of Santo Domingo work. Santo Domingo artists often will mix fetishes with other objects in “treasure” necklaces. Navajo also often make “treasure” necklaces by mixing fetishes with other items.

Although fetishes are not part of the Navajo culture, Navajos are now very active carvers. Stacked fetish necklaces (now often copied in Asian imports) were first produced by Navajo artisans. Navajo fetishes are often large and fairly primitive in their look.

Heishi strands are frequently purchased either from the Santo Domingo or from non-Indian sources.