Mary W. asks: “Who are some Native artists features in your gift shop?”
Jimmy Yawakia is a traditional Zuni fetish carver, who first started carving as a child, having been taught by his stepfather and brother. While his first carvings came from cottonwood tree roots, over time, Jimmy began to incorporate antler, turquoise, and coral into his workings. Today, Jimmy uses a large variety of stones to present his beautiful carvings, such as sandstone, yttrium fluorite, serpentine, travertine, Sonoran stone, Picasso marble, and more.
Prior to carving full-time, Jimmy worked as an Emergency Medical Technician, but, as time went on, the stress of the work started taking its toll. The transition to full-time carving became a healing process. To Jimmy, his fetishes are "his children," and he can talk quite specifically about the meaning of each fetish he has carved. He thinks deeply about the stone and its meaning, and through a spiritual synergy with his materials, which often involves praying with the material; he creates a carving which evokes the spiritual essence of the animal.
We carry Jimmy’s work on our Maxwell Museum Online Store and are currently working to add more to the site. Jimmy’s work has been very popular and we are very grateful to work with such a wonderful artist and individual.
Walking Mountain Lion, carved from Sonoran stone
Sonoran Parrot and Fluorite Bear
