Bear Fetish: Prudencia Quam

This is the smallest of three bears fashioned in this style that we have been able to buy from Prudencia Quam over the past two years. This fetish offers a wonderful example of how, with simple lines, Prudencia can capture the essence of a standing bear. The body is polished smooth and the eyes are set with two dots of turquoise. Prudencia Quam is a member of one of the most important fetish carving families in Zuni and is married to Vernon Lunasee. Although this fetish weighs 368 grams and is carved from hard lignite coal (jet), it is relatively lightweight for its size. The use of lignite throughout the Southwest goes back to prehistoric times. (JH)