Zuni Carved Alabaster Buffalo Fetish with Multi-Stone Arrow Inlay

A substantial Zuni carved alabaster buffalo fetish with bold bilateral arrow-motif inlay running across both flanks. The body is worked from a single block of white alabaster, with the sculptor leaving pronounced tool-mark texture across the shoulders and mane to read as the shaggy winter coat, while the hindquarters are brought to a soft polish. The arrow channel inlay is the showpiece — a pentagonal hooked-arrow design assembled from lapis lazuli, turquoise, black onyx, mother of pearl, spiny oyster, and yellow shell, with tight channel work and clean transitions between materials. The domed black onyx eye sits proud of the surface, and a carved onyx horn projects forward at the brow. A secondary inlay band frames the muzzle.

In Zuni fetish tradition, buffalo is associated with the North and with abundance — a guardian figure carried for strength and provision. The scale here (553 grams, nearly five inches long) is well above the pocket-sized fetish format, placing this piece in the shelf-display category prized by serious collectors. The base bears an incised artist signature consisting of initials — present and intact, but not matched to a specific documented Zuni carver.

Multi-stone inlay of this complexity — six identified materials in a single channeled composition — separates this carving from tourist-grade production work. Comparable signed Zuni alabaster buffalo fetishes of this scale have sold in the $300–$600 range at regional auction; unsigned examples cluster lower. The intact original onyx horn (with one prior repair to the opposing side) and the symmetry of the bilateral inlay are details experienced fetish collectors weigh heavily.

CONDITION

Good. Light surface scuffing and a few small dark inclusions consistent with the alabaster stock. Previous repair to the left horn; right horn original and sound. All inlay stones are seated tight with no lifting or loss observed.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Length: 4.75"
• Height: 3.75"
• Width: 2"
• Weight: 553 grams
• Body: White alabaster
• Inlay Materials: Lapis lazuli, turquoise, black onyx, mother of pearl, spiny oyster, yellow shell
• Eye: Domed black onyx cabochon
• Horns: Carved black onyx
• Signature: Incised initials on bottom
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included