Who is Emery Eriacho?

Emery Eriacho is one of the most productive fetish carvers at Zuni.

But he didn’t grow up there. His childhood home was in Southern California.

As a teenager, Emery came across some Zuni bear carvings in a nearby shop. He was so taken by them that he decided to move back to Zuni and become a carver.

His success in that endeavor is apparent in the beauty and abundance of his work.

Emery’s early mentors were Andres Quam and Daisy Natewa. Traces of that past can still be seen in his work.

But he certainly has established his own style and following.

We have many of Emery’s carvings in stock and many customers who collect his work, especially his bears.

A hallmark of his work is his ability to find the finest quality stones, be they turquoise, malachite, serpentine, Picasso marble, pipestone (Catlinite) or others.

This is accentuated by a deft handling of the stone to find the most moving presentation of the stone’s grain or matrix.

The bear is widely regarded as a creature of healing. With his special gift, Emery is able to transmit that spirit to any owner who seeks and believes in it.

Occasionally, Emery is assisted by his wife, Glenetta, who polishes and secures the offering bundles, and his brother Jeff., who helps with polishing. More and more, however, Jeff Eriacho is doing his own carvings. He is following the tradition of creativity trail-blazed by Emery.

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Offered as an informative service by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its related online galleries: ZuniLink, TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink and Native-JewelryLink.

You are invited to visit all, but especially the three pages of Emery Eriacho carvings at ZuniLink.

Thank you.