Edna Leki (1924-2003)

Edna Leki is a fetish carver. Stone fetishes are hand-carved representations of the spirits of animals or the forces of nature. Pueblo Indians have used fetishes for centuries to master the arbitrary and unpredictable forces beyond their control. The earliest fetishes were naturally formed stones that seemed to resemble people or animals, sometimes made more realistic with the features accentuated by a carver. Today, they are carved in their entirety from commercially purchased stone.

“Edna Leki is believed to have been Zuni's first female fetish carver and is the daughter of famed fetish carver and lapidarist Teddy Weahkee. Weahkee became well-known for a style of fetish carving that closely resembles historic Zuni Pueblo forms. His daughters, Edna Leki and Mary Tsikewa, carried on the carving tradition, as did Edna's daughters Dinah Gasper and Lena Boone. Edna was also the mother of Anderson Weakhee.

“Leki originally worked in channel inlay jewelry, but when her father reached an advanced age, she assisted him in fetish carving; and, thereafter, she devoted herself to carving. She and her father are credited with producing the first fetish bowls for the commercial market, rather than for ceremonial use. The pots themselves, to which Leki applied crushed turquoise and directional fetishes, were typically made by an Acoma potter.”  Kennedy Museum of Art website

** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at Marketing@adobegallery.com.