Regional Crafts

Our regional crafts come from the hearts of our talented artists. These artists represent the cultural spectrum of New Mexico and their works reflect its unique heritage. Fetishes, for example, are small, carved stone animals. They are used by Native American tribes throughout the Southwest and bring the qualities of the animal's inner spirit to its owner. The artists of Zuni Pueblo are the most acclaimed of fetish carvers.

Other traditional Native American crafts include sandpainting, drums, storytellers, and kachinas. A number of our Southwestern artists are inspired by traditional themes and ideas, but interpret them in new ways—such as feathered gourd masks, yarn dolls and rattles, painted river rocks, and wall plaques representing regional petroglyphs. Each of these gifts is something special, a reminder of the region's timelessness.