Leekya Deyuse Zuni Fetish Carvings
These Fetishes are Sold
Dr. Ed Wade... with just a small part of his Southwest pottery collection.
As a child Ed lived for a time with the Hopi and still maintains contact with
his Hopi friends. He earned a Harvard PhD when he was 27. For a time he
was the deputy director
of Harvard's Peabody Museum. Over the course of the last 30 years Ed worked with
major museums,
foundations and individual collectors helping them build their
collections.
The 3 Bears from Dr Wade Collection. Dr Wade writes,
"The Three
Little Bears by Leekya Deyuse c. 1939... It is always a collectors joy to find a
previously
unknown but documented artwork by a master artist. In the case of these
three delightful fetishes
the hand of the celebrated Zuni sculptor Leekya Deyuse can be detected. In
addition there is a rich
personal history associated with the commissioning in 1939 of these pieces
by one of Santa Fe,
New Mexico’s most venerated collectors, Letta Wofford.
In a
whimsical mood she challenged the Zuni artist to interpret the old European folk
tail
of the “Three Bears.” Here in all their stateliness is his response, with
father; mother and baby bear
elevated to the august heights of Zuni prey-beasts and guardians. I
acquired this wonderful set
from Letta in 1973. In addition, she also acquired from Leekya the small
turquoise and silver hunt
fetish when she picked up her bear set. This is an actual historic hunting
fetish,
which from its wear was worn for decades."
Leekya Deyuse Turquoise Bear by Leekya Deyuse c. 1939
Hachita Turquoise with Silver
3/4"
$2850 sold
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The Three Little Bears by Leekya Deyuse c. 1939
Poppa Bear
1" long
Mama Bear
5/8" long
Baby Bear
5/8" long
The Three Little Bears by Leekya Deyuse are sold as a set
They are
made from Travertine. The offering is Olive Shell and Coral and
wrapped with deer sinew.
$3800 Sold
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Leekya
Deyuse Mountain Lion Zuni Fetish Carving
** Not part of the Dr. Wade Collection
Leekya Deyuse Mountain Lion Zuni Fetish Carving
Circa 1930's
Excellent, like new condition
There are a several points of particular interest that I must mention
1) The offering is wrapped with twine not sinew.
This is
very unusual but is still done today. As a matter of fact, there is both twine
and sinew on
a Leekya fetish that was given to Francis by his father. Francis passed it
on to me before he died.
Long time
Zuni trader Sherwin Kohnke makes this comment, "Cotton
string was made in the
prehistoric Pueblos. The strain of cotton, which has been dubbed "Pima
Cotton," is indigenous
to Arizona. The Hohokam cultivated it, and traded it to the Western
Anasazi, most likely through
"Wupatki," which was a multicultural area after the eruption of Sunset
Crater in 1066....
Hopi, which most scholars agree are descendants of the Western or Kayenta
Anasazi
have been weaving cotton kilts and mantas, since the founding of Oraibi."
Sherwin
adds these comments, "...the Zuni
used cotton string to tie and wrap the offering bundles
in the 1930's (Remember, this is the Great Depression) and the 1940's
(World War II). It
(using twine) is an acceptable practice..."
2) The
Green Turquoise offering appears both as an Arrowhead and a Bird (Eagle).
This was brought to my attention by veronica Poblano as she examined it. The
Eagle is the
protective animal of the sky, the upper region. The eagle gives us insight
and vision beyond
what we see in our mortal existence.
3) The
Lion fetish itself is a gold colored Nutria Rock. Nutria Rock is found on the
Zuni Reservation.
4) Yellow
is the proper color for a Mountain Lion. The Mountain Lion is the most powerful
of the 6 Zuni protective animals. The Mountain Lion or Cougar protects its
holder from harm
from the North and it is the friend of the traveler.
4) Notice the perfect heart
line,
It is the heart line that enables the fetish and its owner to exchange power...
exchange breathe.
4" long
$6,800 Sold
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