NATIVE AMERICAN ZUNI ORTHOCERAS MOUNTAIN LION FETISH BY KENRIC LAIWAKETE

Description   Zuni mountain lion fetishes represent leadership and resourcefulness.  Zuni fetish artist Kenric Laiwakete hand crafted this outstanding Mountain Lion out of Orthoceras with a Turquoise heartline.  This carving would make a great addition to your Native American art or Zuni fetish collection.  Signed (note-the carving stands but is unsteady and would be best on a flat surface that won’t be moved)     1 5/8” tall x 6 3/16” long x 11/16” wide     Artist card included     Orthoceras was a straight shelled nautiloid that lived during the Paleozoic Era. The name means straight horn, ortho=straight ceras= horn. It is this long conical shell that is commonly preserved as a fossil.   Zuni fetishes are carvings made from various materials by the Zuni people.  Traditionally, fetishes served a ceremonial purpose for their creators and they represented animals and figures that were part of their culture.  Today, as a form of Native American Art, they are sold to collectors worldwide.  With a myriad of materials like turquoise, shell, jet, marble, serpentine, and much more, Zuni fetish carvers are able to create carvings in a style of their own.