Wolf Fetish with Medicine Bundle
by Edna Leki (1924 - 2003), Zuni
serpentine, medicine bundle of shell, turquoise, coral, heishi
1.5" high x 2" long x .75" wide
Edna Leki is believed to have been Zuni's first female fetish carver. She is the daughter of famed fetish carver and lapidarist Teddy Weahkee. Weahkee became well-known for a style of fetish carving that closely resembles historic Zuni Pueblo forms. His daughters, Edna Leki and Mary Tsikewa, carried on the carving tradition, as did Edna's daughters Dinah Gasper and Lena Boone. Edna was also the mother of Anderson Weakhee.
Leki originally worked in channel inlay jewelry, but when her father reached an advanced age, she assisted him in fetish carving; and, thereafter, she devoted herself to carving. She and her father are credited with producing the first fetish bowls for the commercial market, rather than for ceremonial use.
