Todd Westika 1999. Zuni Fetish Corn Maiden Mother Of Pearl Silver Eyes Turquoise

Description

Todd Westika, Zuni. Corn Maiden Fetish. Signed 1999. Gleaming Mother of Pearl, Silver Eyes Nose, Turquoise Necklace. Family Collection
We offer here a non-ceremonial Zuni Corn Maiden fetish carving of gleaming Mother of Pearl. The polished-to-perfection MOP shimmers with every turn of the hand. The Corn Maiden’s body is carved to resemble an ear of corn. Her eyes and nose are of inlaid sterling silver and she wears a necklace of five inlaid Turquoise beads. The Corn Maiden’s robe is adorned with dragonflies and traditional cornstalks. The Zuni believe the Corn Maiden saves them from starvation and assures them of a bountiful harvest. The midsection cornstalk etchings signify that she is a mother — a giver of life. A 1999 dated Todd Westika Zuni signature is on the bottom.
Zuni fetishes are animal carvings that have been integral to the Zuni culture for thousands of years. The animal a fetish depicts represents that animal’s “special medicine”. A fetish is believed to have a spirit as if it were alive. A person must mindful and respect the spirit of the animal that the fetish signifies. The Zuni feel that it is the spirit within the fetish that is of value, not the object itself. The Zunis regard ceremonial fetishes in carefully directed manners; the fetish must be nurtured in ways that include offerings of cornmeal. It is believed that the care a fetish receives is proportional to the protection it provides.
None of the strict Zuni guidelines apply to non-ceremonial fetishes as we offer here. Fetishes widely available for sale to the public today are non-ceremonial, as they have not been blessed by a medicine man. These fetishes are nothing more than carvings, and are sold as contemporary Native American art.
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Todd Westika lives and works in Zuni Pueblo New Mexico and is steeped in traditional Zuni culture. Todd is basically self-taught in fetish carving. In 1990 an aunt showed him basic carving techniques and gave him a small bear that he used as a model. He has used his knowledge of minerals and rocks from geology classes as a part of his Geological Engineering degree from New Mexico Tech. He uses a wide variety of semiprecious and precious natural stones and gemstones sourced from around the Earth.
Todd is a prodigious award-winner. His awards include many from the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, American Indian and Western Relic Show in Pasadena, California, Santa Fe Indian Market, and others. His work has been featured in a number of books about Zuni fetishes: One of his Bison fetishes adorns the cover of the prestigious “A Guide to Zuni Fetishes and Carvings”, Volume 2. He has demonstrated fetish carving at numerous locations: The Indian Craft Shop, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Washington D.C; The Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona; Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado; and many art galleries in the U.S. Additionally, he was appointed to the Zuni Arts Certification Commission. This recognition has cemented his reputation as one of the most celebrated Zuni carvers of today and earned him a worldwide clientele.
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OUTBACK OZ OPAL
Outback Oz Opal began as a two-Geologist family unit in the middle of a street in Coober Pedy, South Australia where we bought from a gem cutter some finished Opal stones and rough Opal to cut and sell in the US. Subsequent Opal purchases of rough and finished stones were made at the Tucson, AZ Gem and Mineral Show where we developed some valuable friendships with Australian miner-cutter vendors. We learned so much about grading and cutting from them. Eventually we were able to purchase the bulk of our Opal off the kitchen table at our Flagstaff home from miner-cutter dealers who routed through on the gem show circuit (Albuquerque, Durango, Denver, etc). Ultimately one miner stored hundreds of pounds of his rough in a SeaLand container on our property to avoid the expense of returning with unsold goods to Australia.
For several years we sold Opal under the name Outback Oz Opal in Flagstaff, AZ. We sold on eBay and locally to Native American artists on the nearby Reservation. Additionally we travelled each month to the Zuni New Mexico Pueblo where we sold from the back of our pickup truck parked “under the tree”. What a dream hobby for two Geologists! But, as is always the case, life happened — a great job opportunity for the Dad in another state and Military service for the Grandson, who had grown up in the business and cut his first Opal fetish when he was in Kindergarten.
We are again selling our opal online on this and other internet commerce platforms. We do business as Outback Oz Opal or OznAzOpal. Thank you for looking at our listings and we appreciate the trust you place in us, Outback Oz Opal.
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