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Feature of the Month - Authentic Zuni Fetish Carvings Mounted as Totems |
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Zuni Wolf Pair on Amboyna Burl Flute (a custom mounting for a Client)
Zuni fetish carvers are excellent artisans. They work with extremely hard materials such as jasper and other stones. Yet the carvings they make are elegant in design and flow. Some people believe there are mystical properties with Zuni fetishes. Perhaps that is true. One thing is for sure, they are wonderful pieces of art.
Several years ago, Gary Leatham became interested in using Zuni fetishes as totems for our Woodsounds flutes. Gary put together a large collection of hand selected fetishes to fit our flutes. The majority are Zuni in origin and a few are excellently carved art species from other sources. We are delighted to present a few of these totems to you now. Below you will find nine of these totems. You can see additional totems on our website at www.woodsounds.com/products/carvedtotems.php.
Click a Buy Now to add carving to shopping cart for mounting to your flute. We only mount these totems to Woodsounds Flutes. They are permanently secured to a flat acoustic block that coordinates with your flute.
Zuni Frog* on Tiger Maple Flute (a custom mounting for a Client)
Example Carvings -- What animal shape gives you the strongest positive feelings?
Note: these are one-of-a-kind carvings! The Zuni carvings are signed pieces in distinctive styles by well-recognized Zuni Artists in the field.
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# T23DA $108 Zuni Lizard*
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# T20DA $169. Zuni Wolf* Pair
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# T30DA $158 Zuni Frog*
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# T41DA $122 Zuni Magpie*
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# T36DA $104 Zuni Bear*
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# T31DA $108 Zuni Horse*
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# T21DA $132 Zuni Mole* |
# T40DA $86 Chinese Bear |
# T22DA $122 Zuni Frog*
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In making a fetish, a Zuni carver selects a stone for which they have a feeling about. The stone is then carved removing the unnecessary stone pieces revealing the fetish shape that they feel resides in the selected stone. You often see turquoise or other lines inset in the carving running along the body towards its mouth. This a symbolic breath-line, symbolic for the path for the spark of life that air gives. Zuni would breathe towards the mouth of the fetish and accept breath back, so that they mutually energize and connect each other. The Zuni often store their fetishes with little bags of grain or other materials as food offerings, symbolic of how you'd feed a live animal. On some fetishes you see little packages of rare or desirable stones that the Zuni carver tied there to intensify the fetish's power through the valuable gift it carries.
For the Zuni, some of the more popular animals are Bear, Wolf, Lizard, Badger, Eagle, Mole, Frog and Buffalo. Many other animals were/are carved as well.
Carvings Shown with A-Medicine Man Madrone Robert Mirabal Signature Burl Flute The flute just completed and available for sale $653 #D26A. It can be combined with any of the totems purchased above (inquire if shopping cart link not provided here). Note that these carving are one-of-a-kind items subject to prior sale.
Carvings Shown with F#-Minor Cochen Rosewood Flute. The flute just completed and available for sale $615 #D22A. It can be combined with any of the totems purchased above (inquire if shopping cart link not provided here). Note that these carving are one-of-a-kind items subject to prior sale.
Zuni Horse on Landscape Ziricote Flute with Zuni Horse* (a custom mounting for a Client with wood from the sapwood/heartwood interface, so that the flute reminds one of a 'paint' style horse). The writings are message intentions of the Zuni. We thought it quite appropriate when we discovered upon closer inspection in the shop that this fetish, selected for its horse shape, had flute playing animals on it!
What could be a more elegant match than the mounting of the Zuni Carving to the Native American style flute? To a Zuni you would be breathing much life (air) towards the fetish animal energizing it, and the spirit being would impart purpose and intention to support the listeners hearing the sounds and feeling their vibrations. For instance, a Bear might be mounted to set an intention in playing of healing & power, a Butterfly might be for the power of self transformation, or Elk to impart physical strength and stamina. We like this imagery in that in our lives setting intention and focusing to achieve ones goals is an important part of being successful in life. Thus, mounted on a flute a fetish thus represents an elegant artful way to express your intention in playing, as well as sharing the cultural heritage of the Zuni.
There are many very well recognized Zuni carvers still carving today in the Four Corners area of the US Southwest. Their special career work is offered for the support and enjoyment of others. We feature a many examples in the photos above.
Bois de Rose Madagascar Rosewood Flute with Kokopelli Diamonds Style Inlay Set with Fully Beaded Feather Set and Zuni Jet Stone & Turquoise Inlaid Frog*
Example Animals and Meanings to Zuni and other Native Peoples
-- What symbolic animal meaning most calls to you? --
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Badger |
Courage, aggressive, healer, problems relating to others, and energy conduit |
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Bear |
Industrious, instinctive, healing, power, sovereignty, guardian of the world, watcher, courage, will power, self-preservation, introspection, and great strength |
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Buffalo |
Sacredness, life, great strength, abundance, gratitude, gifting invisibility |
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Frog
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Water energy, cleansing, rebirth, sensitivity, medicine, hidden beauty, peace, adaptability |
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Horned Lizard
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Longevity and self-reliance |
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Horse
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Freedom, stamina, mobility, the land, travel, and power |
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Lizard
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Conservation, vision, self-protection, hidden defenses |
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Mole
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Sensitivity, guidance, searching, powerful nature being from below the earth.
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Otter
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Playful, friendly, dynamic, joy, helpfulness, and sharing |
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Raven
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Magic, the messenger of the great mystery; A change in consciousness |
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Rabbit |
Gentleness, charm, and awareness of others. Rabbit is the special guardian of women in childbirth and is associated with safe childbirth and a long life for children. He also represents virtue and serenity |
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Skunk
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Reputation, presence, and strength |
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Turtle
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Nurturer, shy, and protecting |
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Wolf* |
Loyalty, perseverance, success, intuition, and spirit. A pair would represent a mated of life pair.
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 Rare! Carver's Guild Moose Antler Lizard Carving on Bocote Flute (a custom mounting for a Client) | |
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First Pick Flutes!
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Interested in seeing our latest Native American Flutes first? Sign-up for the First Pick list HERE and
receive rack shots of groups of new flutes right after they are made. This will give you the option of viewing and or purchasing one of the latest creations. Make sure you sign up for the First Pick list.
Since we take a number of pictures and also create sound files, it takes several days before we are able to post flutes to the web site. Some of the best flutes never make it to the website.
Inquire if you'd like information about these new flutes before they are listed.
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CONGRATULATIONS to our January 2009 Flute Drawing Winner
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Winners are selected by random number generator, from individuals who have their e-Mail address signed up to receive our Monthly Newsletter. Our December 2008 winner is:
If you've received this Newsletter from us, you are already signed up for the Free Flute drawing. The drawing is held the first week of each month, through March 2009. Let your friends, fellow flute circle members, and family know about for this drawing by forwarding this e-Mail to them so that they can Register Here or on the Woodsounds Website and be eligible for the drawing.
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Jeff Ball -- Featured Native American Flute Guest Artist
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You don't have to look very far into the modern Native American Flute music to discover Jeff Ball http://www.jeffball.net. Since his debut album release in 1994 Jeff has a been a solid, consistent contributor, steadily rising in the field. His passionate dedication to Native American Flute playing has been more recently collecting award nominations and awards. 
In their words ... Jeff primarily comes from a Scotch-Irish heritage with "according to family legend, a few drops of Cree blood, just enough to help me play wood-flute." Jeff grew up listening to both pop music and smooth jazz, but after he went to a powwow and heard a Native American flute player, "I couldn't get enough of it." Ball got his first flute in 1992. "I knew some Indian groups in Virginia and they introduced me to a Choctaw flute player named Windtamer who gave me some valuable tips early on. I read everything I could get my hands on about the Native American culture and history. At Indian gatherings I listened to the stories; I joined them in sweat lodges; and I got some sage advice from a Chippewa medicine man."  Over the years, Jeff Ball has become one of the genre's most influential flutists and is known for stretching wood-flute playing to new limits. His albums encompass a wide variety of styles, ranging from new age to smooth jazz to rock. In addition to listening albums, Jeff has recorded soundtracks, holiday music, and mediation music. This diverse sound is achieved through the use of solo flute, full band and most recently pairing the flute with an interesting percussion instrument called the Hang. Also spreading Ball's reputation is an instruction book that he wrote. First published in 1994, Trailhead of the American Courting
 Flute remains the genre's foremost instructional primer. At first Jeff performed solo shows, but after a few years his brother Randy showed up and began sitting in on bass. He was soon joined by other musicians Ted Natale, on percussion, and Greg Dillon, on guitar. They formed the Jeff Ball Band as you know it today. In the past few years they have performed at many festivals, powwows and outdoor concerts. They regularly incorporate Native American dancers into their shows. In addition, the band has performed on stage with R. Carlos Nakai, Mary Youngblood, Bill Miller, Arvel Bird, and Robert Mirabal.
"We don't play traditional American Indian songs," Jeff says. "When the Indians first started making flutes hundreds of years ago, for the Lakota style many they were only used by young men for courting. They would go out into the woods and listen to the wind in the trees or the birds singing. Then each flute-player came up with his own music to play for the woman of his choice. That individuality is the tradition I am following. There is no point in copying what others are doing. We want to create a new path in our genre. This isn't our ancestor's flute music. This is American wood-flute music for the modern age."
 CD Discography Reverence - 1998 Cedar Moon - 2000 Windtamer - 2001 Prairie Runner - 2002 Songs of Winter - 2003 Return to Balance - 2005 The Shape of Light - 2006 Ghost Town - CURRENT RELEASE!!  Jeff Ball (on right) greeting Joesph FireCrow
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Flute Festival Information
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We here at Woodsounds greatly enjoyed seeing you last year at the various flute festivals around the country. It is a real treat to meet with those we make flutes for and play together.
We are excited about this year's festivals schedule. As the year progresses, we will continue to keep you informed of the festivals that Woodsounds will be attending this year. Let us know if you think of a Festival that you recommend that we should try to attend.
American Indian Music Festival
This February 13th, 14th and 15th there is a new and exciting festival, the American Indian Music Festival, starting in the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Alan Stanz, a park ranger and a flute enthusiast, is organizing the festival. We are very grateful for his efforts and are excited to support this new event. To see the PDF flyer for the event, click here.
Potomac Flute Festival
The Potomac Flute Festival has change the festival dates and location from previous years. This year the festival will be on the 27th, 28th, and 29th of March. The location is better than ever and we should have wonderful weather! The line up look wonderful! For more information please click here.
Zion Flute Festival
There has been much talk of what is happening with the Zion Flute Festival this year. I am delighted to inform you that it is going to be the best Zion's festival ever! The festivities will cover an eight day period.
Starting on the Friday May 15th Zion Flute and Drum Festival, organized by Marty Lisonbee, will be held in better facilities than ever. This portion of the festivities will include a Saturday evening concert with Robert Mirabal, Suzanne Teng, Vince Chafin, and William Hoshal at the world renown Tuacahn facility. For more information please click here.
Starting on Monday the 17th the Zion Canyon Native Flute School will begin. Key instructors will be Vince Chafin, Clint Goss, Vera Shanov, Scott August, and Cornell Kinderknecht. Wow! What a great opportunity to learn more about the flute! Thank you Betina Lindsey for organizing the school! For more information please click here.
This is just the start of what is happening in 2009!
More festival information will be coming as the year progresses.
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F#-Minor -or- Midrange Double Em -or- Mid/Low High Em -or- Ultra High
