Beaded Old Cloth Native American Fetish Display Case Shadow Box

What a display! This shadow box is a great piece of decor to add character to your home or place of business. Take home a part of Native American History! This display has fetish offerings from the West of the United States. This incredible display features impressive old-fashioned beaded cloth fetishes. There is one shaped like a horned-animal's head with beaded eyes and arrow nose. There are also two others that look like snakes or lizards. Each brown fabric Native American fetish animal has seed beads and trades beads dangling from the sides. They appear in a black display case with a white backing. The case is 8-1/4" by 12-1/4". This shadow box would make a great collector's item for your home, office or even a bar!

Native Americans have always felt a special connection to nature. The belief that all things in nature have a spirit is an integral part of their religions, which is part of what makes their creation of fetishes so important to to their cultures. Fetishes are Native American carving of animals, humans or supernatural figurines believed to have inherent power. The most renowned fetish carvers are the Zuni, who call themselves Asiwi (Ah-she-wee), but many Native American tribes create and use fetishes. It is a Zuni belief that animals are more powerful and like their deities than man. They also believe that both practical and spiritual power reside within their fetishes. The Zuni have used fetishes for many purposes: to make game more plentiful, to enable hunters to catch game and to use in curing ceremonies. They may also be used as protection for the community as well as individuals. There are two major groupings of fetishes (and some overlap between them): protective or healing animals, hunting and prey animals. For example, the mountain lion, an animal of both groups, is a source of leadership and resourcefulness. The bear, protective or healing animal, symbolizes strength, introspection, and a spiritual journey though life. The white bear is medicine. The coyote is a hunting animal of laughter, humor and foolishness, the master trickster who tricks himself. Zuni fetishes are totemic and feature inlaid eyes and heart lines, while those of the Navajo are often known as storytellers and are included in fetish necklaces that serves as mnemonics for traditional stories.