So I again tried to create a shade tree tribute to the people of the Zuni Pueblo. A people who’s culture, language, and spirituality are unique among Pueblo tribes, and who have by and large been unaffected by the challenges and influences of warring Apache, Spanish conquest, the Catholic church, all the way down to the National Park Service and the Southern Pacific Railroad. Today, the Zuni remain isolated, deeply religious, cohesive, and peace loving. Their purity of spirit, reverence for their ancestors, and clarity of purpose, magnify their mystery.
This instrument is built from SE Asian Paldao. It’s tuned to F#m with a 7/8” bore diameter, and an overall length of 22-1/4”. Additional woods include California buckeye burl, SE Asian thuya burl, and Oklahoma red cedar. The remaining Zuni accents, include inlay powders of Sleeping Beauty mine turquoise, San Juan Basin NM coal, Mexican limonite, coyote bone, and New Mexico pipestone. The fox fetish was cut from Picasso marble, by Zuni artist Gabriel Boone, while the small Zuni channel inlay south of the fetish consists of turquoise, red coral, lapis, and spiny oyster, set in sterling silver. Additional stones include turquoise, and spiny oyster cabs. Play nice and have a stress free Thanksgiving.