LOT John D Kennedy  /  Zuni and Navajo Fetishes  / 

1A

Deyuse Leekya turquoise fetish

Currency:USD Category:American Indian Art / Art - Carvings Start Price:7,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Deyuse Leekya turquoise fetish
We will ship FEDEX or USPS.
Deyuse Leekya is the most prominent of the famous Zuni artists and craftsmen. No other Zuni craftsman has the standing of Old Man Leekya and his carvings highly prized by collectors. He began trading with my dad in Zuni in 1943. When we moved to Gallup, he continued trading with Dad. He routinely came to town and selected a bag of turquoise nuggets. They were always green because that was softer turquoise and most adaptable to carving. It was before various treatments of turquoise became commonplace. Prior to the mid-fifties, he carved with a file until he got an electric grinder. He was a very quiet man and had large holes in his earlobes from wearing turquoise slab earrings which he strung with string. After a few weeks, he would return with a bag of fetishes. The cost of turquoise was deducted, and he was paid per piece. I obtained this fetish in the 50s. One day Old Man Leekya came into Dad’s store with his fetishes. He saw another well-known Zuni craftsman, Dan Simplicio, inlaying my initials into a new baseball bat with turquoise. Leekya gave me this fetish to give me more power in my swing. Several of his daughters, Alice Homer and Elizabeth Quam also became accomplished fetish carvers.
Sign In to Bookmark Lot