F510 Wild Horse Jasper Mountain Lion
Wild Horse Jasper Mountain Lion by Zuni carver Ronnie Lunassee. The 3 1/4” x 1” x 1/2” mountain lion has turquoise eyes.
The mountain lion fetish, guardian of the North, is the most powerful fetish a hunter can possess. He is the elder brother to all other protective and hunting Zuni fetishes. The mountain lion fetish is believed to possess leadership and resourcefulness.
About the artist
Ronnie Lunasee
Ronnie Lunasee, who started to carve at the age of sixteen, was taught by his brother-in-law, Melvin Sandoval, but it took two years for him to mature. He likes dolomite and serpentine, which he buys in Gallup and sells his work in Zuni or Albuquerque. He carves frogs and bears, especially the sitting variety, the largest of which is four inches high. He regards a creative mind as the most important part of fetish carving and often dreams about the animals he will carve. A serpentine lizard was selected for the museum exhibit because it would take a polish like glass, a quality he values. Although he learned from Melvin Sandoval, Ronnie does the more traditional stylized fetishes, leaving Melvin to do the new realistic type.
Ronnie taught his cousin Fabian Tsethlikai, and the two young men work together on opposite ends of the wheel.
From “The Fetish Carvers of Zuni” by Marian Rodee and James Ostler
Zuni fetish carver Ronnie Lunasee is a member of the Lunasee Family of carvers - who are related to the Quandelacy Family.
