Ancient Fetish - Western New Mexico

Highmountain · Jun 2, 2008

This would have been an easy one to miss through lack of recognition for what it is if it hadn't been for the surroundings where it was found. Looks a lot like plenty of other rocks:

pickaway · Jun 2, 2008

Great find congrats.

Airborne80 · Jun 3, 2008

What was this used for? It looks cool, but I am not sure what I am seeing

Highmountain · Jun 3, 2008

Airborne80 said:
What was this used for? It looks cool, but I am not sure what I am seeing

It's a personal animal fetish. Religious/spiritual item. This one's almost identical to one identified as a mountain lion displayed in a museum in Santa Fe a few years ago. The arrow-like scratch running lengthwise from the mouth to 'chest' is called the 'heart-line'. This one came from a pit-house ruin-site on private land, western New Mexico, probably 800-1000 years old.

Thanks for the reply.

Airborne80 · Jun 3, 2008

Awesome!!! That is such a cool find! Thanks for explaining it :thumbsup:

Highmountain · Jun 4, 2008

Airborne80 said:
Awesome!!! That is such a cool find! Thanks for explaining it

Something to think about:

You can find fetishes on sites that have been gone over repeatedly by pot hunters and head hunters. Sometimes the piles of debris by their potholes will even have them. The reason is that it's not something well known and most pothunters haven't done any research to speak of. They just hope if they dig a mound or ruin or midden they'll find something they can sell, and they know pots and points will. Or, in the case of points, they might add them to their collections.

But they'll go right past a lot of other things without even noticing. Finding a thousand year old ear of corn with the kernals still on it can be a thrill and you can often find them lying beside the potholes, thrown out by the pothunters.

Same with fetishes.

Jack

Airborne80 · Jun 4, 2008

Sweet! I will add them to my list of "hope ta finds". Thanks for that info.

Highmountain · Jun 4, 2008

I don't recall ever finding one myself, but I've had people with me who found numerous tiny turquoise beads poking around in the small gravel surrounding ant beds. About the size of #7 shot. I think most ruin and campsites in the southwest must have a lot of them judging from the number I've seen people more patient than I am find.

Not sure about places further east, but I'd almost bet ant beds around mound builder sites would turn something, though maybe not beads.

Jack