fetish

Used and made by all
Southwestern Indian tribes,
fetishes are objects which
represent the spirits of
animals or the forces of
nature. Original fetishes were
simple stones (or shells,
turquoise or bone) which
seemed to resemble people or
animals, sometimes made
more realistic by a carver.

any object, natural or otherwise, that is believed to contain "power." A fetish is usually something that is carried on one's person, such as a small stone from a sacred place, a "medicine pouch" that protects one who is on a journey.


Inanimate natural or cultural object believed to have magical power, either from a will of its own or from a god that has transformed the object into an instrument of its desires.