Zuni Cat Fetish Pre-2000. Regal In Detail. Cat Like In Character.

Description

NOTE: All prices are in USD.
Zuni Cat Fetish Pre-2000. Unknown young Zuni carver.
This listing is for a Zuni Cat fetish. So tiny, and yet so regal in bearing. The aloof character of a cat is personified in this fetish. Cat is a powerful creature, a stealthy and deadly hunter. He can be thought of as the younger brother to Bob Cat and Mountain Lion, the hunting animals. He will be be one of the most mysterious carvings in your fetish collection.
This Zuni Cat fetish has been in the family collection since before 2000. We purchased (or traded opal, I don’t recall) for it at the Zuni Pueblo. It can be an excellent start of your collection of Zuni fetishes, or be a unique addition to your already impressive collection. It is guaranteed to be one of the most unusual carvings in your fetish collection!
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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 the physical embodiment of a living spirit and believed to have a spirit as if it were alive. A person must be 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 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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PAYMENT AND SHIPMENT
We ship by USPS First Class which includes tracking and full insurance.
RETURNS
We recognize that opal and other items of jewelry or art are very personal and emotional purchases. If you feel your item is not as represented please contact us to discuss any issues you may have. If it is agreed the opal will be returned for refund, you may return it in its’ original condition in protective packaging within 14 days of receipt. Refund to the buyer will amount to the purchase price minus all eBay fees and the cost of outbound and return shipping.
FEEDBACK
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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 Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico 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 starting again to sell our opal online, as OutbackOzOpal on other selling platforms as well as OznAzOpal on eBay. Thank you for looking at our listings and for placing your trust in Outback Oz Opal.
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