Dinah Gasper — Zuni Fetish Carver

Dinah Gasper is a Zuni carver of bird and animal fetish necklaces. Gregory Schaaf's American Indian Jewelry I lists her as Zuni, born 1945, active from the 1970s, working in silver, coral, turquoise, mother-of-pearl and jet, with bears, birds and frogs as her favorite designs. As of 2003 it recorded a Best of Division and a first place for fetish necklaces at Indian Market in Santa Fe in 1986 (Schaaf 2003, p. 160).

Diana F. Pardue's Contemporary Southwestern Jewelry names her as a daughter of Edna Leki, and records that she creates fetish necklaces and at times carves non-traditional materials such as fossilized ivory (Pardue 2007, p. 126). Schaaf names her maternal grandfather as Teddy Weahkee and her sister as Lena Boone (Schaaf 2003, p. 160). Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists her as active since the 1970s in fetish carving, names her a granddaughter of John Gordon Leekity, and records a collaboration with the silversmith Calvin Martinez (Hougart 2022, p. 126).

She works with her husband, Peter Gasper (Schaaf 2003, p. 160; Hougart 2022, p. 126). Paula A. Baxter's Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry names Peter and Dinah Gasper as one of the two best-known Zuni couples (Baxter 2000, p. 193), and Joe Dan and Joe P. Lowry's Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone pictures a frog fetish of theirs (Lowry 2010, p. 175).

Her hallmark

Hougart records that she co-stamps with her husband, under a mark reading Peter Dinah, stacked (Hougart 2022, p. 126). Schaaf records that the couple sometimes stamp Peter & Dinah G. (Schaaf 2003, p. 160).