Trading Posts

In the American southwest the earliest trading posts started in the 1860s, often as missionary assignments. They were remote outposts that provided provisions ~ food, clothing, supplies, even potable water in exchange mainly for sheep and wool. Eventually when the public demand for jewelry, pottery and rugs arose these trading posts became the main resource for craftspeople to trade their goods for provisions.

Itinerant Traders

Some of the larger trading posts employed sales people who traveled near and far to bring crafts to retail locations. In Zuñi, in the late 1970s and the early 1980s there arose a cohort of independent, self-employed traders who carved out territories and routes throughout the country. They regularly returned to Zuñi to purchase from both local trading posts and directly from artisans. This practice continued for almost a half-century until the rise of the internet and the cost of travel became too high to sell in person.

Trading Career of Harold Finkelstein

On his first day upon arriving in Zuñi in 1980 as a teacher training consultant, Harold was gifted his first fetish carving.  His eyes quickly opened to the burgeoning offerings of carvings from both individuals and at trading posts. Thereafter, for the next decade, he continued traveling throughout the country as a teacher consultant and as a fetish trader (and eventually also selling jewelry, pottery and rugs) ~ from Maine to Florida, Wisconsin to Texas, California to Montana. During the ensuing 45 years, he wrote a short monograph introducing the topic of fetishes to the public and then in 2025, after researching and writing for twenty years, a thorough exposition of art of Zuñi fetish carving entitled “Releasing the Spirit.”