I don’t often delve too deep into Heishi and Fetish work, mostly because I get burned more that half the time! This one was described by the seller as Eskimo with fish and seals.
It looks like Santo Domingo work to me. Real inlay in the eyes and mouth. The kachina seems to be carved out of two halfs?? Just wondering if I got got again really. Any thoughts on value and what the medium is? As in what kind of bone or antler?
I too got tired of getting burned when buying fetish necklaces. I found a really helpful chart from Keshi, a NM non- profit that promotes Zuni arts that describes some of the things we should stay away from when purchasing fetishes.
Thanks Bree, I too use that guideline. It has helped some but only with Zuni, the examples don’t cover other tribes which do stack with no spacers and do wind the thick backing. I would really love to see information on the Navajo and Santo Domingo(Kewa Pueblo now) heishi and fetish, but I have not seen anything published to date. Still relying on catching those drops of knowledge where I can find them!
I’m curious to know what kind of bone this is carved from too. Knowing that will definitely help determine the origins.