Elephant Fetish Carving
by Calvert Bowannie, Zuni Pueblo
jet, turquoise inlays
1”high x 1 3/4” long x 1/2” wide
Calvert Bowannie is an established Zuni carver specializing in creating fetish carvings in highly polished jet, sometimes with inlays of mother of pearl or turquoise. His work is distinctive, with a unique stylized interpretation of birds and animals. He became famous for his raven’s with red berries in his mouth, and has since branched out to create traditional birds and animals native to Bew Mexico, but now creates Orca whales, penguins, and sharks that have become collector’s favorites. Calvert is an is an offspring of the renowned jeweler and fetish carving Panteah family from Zuni Pueblo, and he is married to Pedia Nastacio, who working with her husband, has become a fetish carver as well.
