On the subject of feeding, tradition tells us that the fetishes require a meal of cornmeal and ground turquoise periodically. Also, tradition says that Zuni fetishes should be kept in a clay pot, although today most people keep their fetishes somewhere where they can be enjoyed and admired. Any but the very delicate fetishes could be carried in a pocket, pouch or bag. Even today, I have the very first fetish that I ever purchased in the pocket of my favorite jacket. Each winter it’s like a little surprise when I first put my hand into the pocket and find it all over again. Then again, perhaps I’m getting old since I forget about it every summer!
Besides being made from various stones and other materials (each material has its own unique properties), the contemporary fetish may carry an offering of a smaller animal or a prayer bundle of carved arrowheads with small beads of heishe. It may be adorned with a heishe necklace, feathers, etchings representing ancient petroglyphs, or an etched or inlayed heartline. These small items, although colorful to the eye, are intended to protect and feed the fetish itself.