Museum Piece! Highly Collectable Vintage Signed Sarah Leekya Zuni Sterling Catch Natural Turquoise Carved 25 Animals Necklace Beauty!

Lovely patina on the catch

TOTAL WEIGHT: 122 GR

NECKLACE MEASURES 32.75'' FROM END TILL END

Beads measure 4.7mm wide

ANIMALS MEASURE IN AVERAGE APPROX 1.25'' tall, 0.5'' wide, center piece measures 1.5''x0.5''

VERY UNIQUE AND RARE ITEM! GREAT CONDITION

COMES AS PICTURED

Zuni fetish necklaces are a unique art form practiced by a small number of fetish carvers, most of whom were related and were contemporaries.  The origins of Zuni fetish necklaces come from an era when there was no way to easily carry the talismans that the carvings represent.  They were worn either singly or a couple of accretions bundled with leather around the neck.  There were no tools to allow drilling of the stones.  The drilling was only possible with trading post generators. In time, probably as early as the 190s, necklaces were designed to appeal to collectors.  The descendants of Teddy Weahkee (in particular Pete and Dinah Gasper, Lena and Rignie Boone), the descendants of George Haloo CheeChee (Emerson and Rosalia Quam and their children), as well as  the Tsikewa and the Delena families are among the best-known Zuni Fetish Necklace artisans. The most highly-sought-after necklaces were made by Leekya Deyuse. Some of his descendants made necklaces, including his daughter Sarah Leekya

Sarah Leekya (1930 - 2017), was the daughter of Zuni Master Leekya Deyuse (1889 - 1966), who was the first carver to attain wide recognition for his craft. Sarah's fetish carving siblings, Francis Leekya and Alice Leekya Homer are now deceased. At the time of Sarah's passing, she was the oldest living carver in Zuni. 


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