Zuni Fetishes: Using Native American Sacred Objects for Meditation, Reflection, and Insight – A Beautifully Illustrated Guide to Zuni Spirituality and Cross-Cultural Wisdom

by Hal Zina Bennett

The Zuni have traditionally used small stone carvings of animal figures as power objects and mediators between themselves and the spirit world. Any object that has special meaning can be used as a fetish. In this fascinating, informative, and beautifully illustrated guide to the fetishes of the Zuni people of New Mexico, Hal Zina Bennett explores key principles of Native American spirituality and how early Zuni teachings can benefit us all today. He provides an excellent guide to Zuni traditions and an intriguing picture of their early life, along with detailed instructions for using fetishes for mediation, reflection, and insight in modern life. He describes key fetish figures, including the Guardian of the Six Regions, their legendary meanings, and the personal qualities each figure can support and help its owner develop. In explaining the nature of fetishes and the psychological and spiritual benefits that we can gain from their use, Bennett provides illuminating cross-cultural comparisons, stimulating exercises, and journaling opportunities.

Genres: Art

192 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 1993

About the author

Born in Detroit, I lived in Birmingham, a suburb of Detroit, until the age of 12, when we moved north to a small village on Deer Lake. I became interested in writing during high school but didn't take it seriously until I was in my twenties when a publisher became interested in my writing on alternative education. My first book was published jointly by Random House and Bookworks, a small California publisher. Title: "No More Public School." It was moderately successful, giving parents throughout the U.S. tips on homeschooling or setting up small parent-co-op private schools. This lead to a series of collaborations with Mike Samuels, MD, on wellness and health, notably "The Well Body Book," which was an international bestseller. My own books have included books on personal and spiritual growth, such as "Follow Your Bliss," on right livelihood, "Spirit Animals and The Wheel of Life," "Zuni Fetishes," and a series of three books on creativity and writing, including the bestselling "Write From the Heart." Published fiction includes "Spirit Circle" and "Backland Graces: Four Novellas." I have ghost written or collaborated on at least a dozen other books, including "The Holotropic Mind," with Stan Grof, MD and "Change Your Questions, Change Your Life," for Marilee Adams, Ph.D. I continue to coach and teach other writers and consult on publishing choices.

Reviews

[LINDA · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cousin Nancy gave me this book as a gift when I was young along with the 'wolf' zuni fetish. The book was very interesting, and it did give great suggestions of methods to understand and resolve your problems- for example on 73 it provides a sample journal page which gives 8 prompts for you to write about in order to sort out your feelings.

Bonus: a percentage of the Author's proceeds from the sale of the book go to Habitat for Humanity!

[Alicia]

This looks hot, I remember when my Uncle first gave me a Native American fetish. It was a small stone bear. I remember initally thinking it was ugly, and what strange things adults picked out. But the abstract shape of the bear carving soon grew on me.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of what fetishes meant to the Zuni, and then basic info of the care and feeding of one's personal fetishes. The last chapter had a meaning of each of the main fetishes commonly used by the Zuni. Fairly detailed for a relatively small book.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are into the history of the objects, this book is amazing. (thanx bill)