Leekya Deyuse — Zuni Carver & How His Work Is Attributed
Zuni Pueblo · Carver & lapidary
Leekya Deyuse (1889–1966) was a Zuni carver and lapidary, known for small carved animals, birds and fetish necklaces. He stamped no hallmark, so his work is attributed by style alone, and the books record how much it was copied. His children took Leekya as their family name; their marked work is theirs, not his.
KEY POINTS
- Leekya Deyuse lived from 1889 to 1966, by Baxter's dates.
- He used no hallmark. His work is attributed by style.
- Adair (1944) counted him and Ted Wiakwe among the village's most expert turquoise-workers.
- Schaaf says he made fetish necklaces by 1926; Tryk dates his strung fetishes to the 1940s.
- His children took Leekya as their surname. Their marked pieces are family work, not his.
The attribution
In a directory built around hallmarks, Leekya Deyuse defines the second rule of collecting: some of the most sought-after names in Southwest jewelry never stamped anything at all. Hougart's hallmark reference has no mark entry for Leekya himself — he appears only as the named father and grandfather in his children's and grandchildren's entries. Attribution rests entirely on the eye, and by the 1970s the eye was considered enough. Rosnek and Stacey record a gallery dealer sorting fetish necklaces carving by carving: "You can say: this is a Leekya; that's a Mary Tsekewa: this one's an Andy Sr. and that's a David." Leekya was one of only a few carvers recognizable from the carving itself, or from the way a piece was strung.
Collector's caution — read before you attribute. Rosnek and Stacey write that he "was not above buying fetishes from other carvers and selling them as his own, some necklaces which were sold by him aren't necessarily his work." So a "Leekya-attributed" piece earns skepticism twice over — there is no mark to check, and by their account even a necklace he sold may not be his work. What is documented in Hougart are the family marks: son Francis Leekya stamped a bird head, and an LF with the F nested within; son Robert Leekya used a conjoined RL, and an RLB shared with his wife Bernice (the larger L extends below the B); daughter Sarah Leekya marked S. Leekya; daughter Alice Leekya Homer, AL H; granddaughter Jobeth Mayes, her name in script (and Zuni Maize etched around a corn stalk). A marked Leekya piece is family work — not the elder's.
The carver in the middle
The Zunis, Adair wrote in 1944, "have known the art of carving turquoise for hundreds of years" — small blue stones shaped into animal forms and worn between the nuggets of necklaces. What Leekya joined was the commercial outgrowth of that ancient practice, which Adair, writing in 1944, said had sprung up within the last twenty years, and which he documented while it was happening [4]: the trader supplied the turquoise, shell, and jet, paid the carver by the piece, then handed the finished stone to a Navajo silversmith to mount. "The trader is the one who suggests the form of the finished piece to the craftsmen." Three parties, one object — and Leekya sat at the center of the triangle. "Two of the most expert turquoise-workers in the village," Adair reported, "are Ted Wiakwe and Leekya," and traders commissioned those two by name to carve small animal forms in the round, which were fastened to box tops made by the Navajo smiths. [4] (One caveat: Bedinger, writing in 1973, pairs Wiakwe with "Robert Leekya" — which may refer to the son.)
Adair's plate caption calls him "Leekya, Zuñi turquoise-worker." He photographed Leekya and his wife "dressed in the height of fashion": over three thousand dollars' worth of turquoise at Leekya's neck ("He made these beads himself"), a bracelet of three massive stones with the middle one carved into the shape of a toad, and on the other wrist a single stone over three inches wide. [4]
Baxter (2000, p. 44) names C. G. Wallace among the several Zuni traders he worked for,. [5]
The line held. Four children — Francis, Robert, Sarah, and Alice Leekya Homer — became documented working artists with their own marks, and granddaughter Jobeth Mayes carried it into a third generation from 1971 on. Rosnek and Stacey list Robert alongside Charles Loloma and Kenneth Begay among the artists taking Indian jewelry into "a new dimension." For the stones themselves, and for the Zuni carving tradition behind them, see Turquoise in Culture & History and Navajo, Zuni and Hopi jewelry, or browse the Silversmith Directory.
Daughter-in-law: Bernice Leekya (wife of Robert Leekya, Leekya Deyuse’s son)
Field Notes by Mateo James
An earlier version of this page gave the half-inch, "delicately molded" figures to Leekya and Ted Wiakwe. Read directly, Adair (1944, p. 149) uses those words for small cast silver animals made by another smith in the pueblo, Juan Deleosa, while the two carvers cut small animal forms in stone that were fastened to box tops made by Navajo smiths. I have corrected the profile to his wording.
An earlier version of this page said no source states outright that Leekya worked for C. G. Wallace. Baxter's 2000 encyclopedia does say it: she lists Wallace among the several Zuni traders he worked for (p. 44). I have corrected the profile.
The books date his fetish necklaces differently. Schaaf (2003, p. 137) writes that by 1926 he was making them. Tryk (1993, p. 75) has him beginning in the 1940s to carve tiny birds and animals to string on necklaces, and calls it a whole new art form. Schiffer (1996, p. 29) pictures a Navajo bracelet holding a frog he carved, captioned as made in the 1920s. I show each date as printed. [7] [6] [3]
From the Library
What 7 reference books say about Leekya Deyuse, grouped by topic. Every passage names its book and page; full references are under Sources.
These are outside observers' records; Leekya Deyuse's family and the A:shiwi (Zuni) people are the authority on his life and work.
When he worked, and for whom6 passages · 4 books
His dates, his tools, the traders, and when the fetish necklaces began.
Baxter (2000, p. 44) gave Leekya Deyuse's dates as 1889 to 1966. [5]
According to Baxter (2000, p. 44), he made some of his finest work with a hand grinder between 1920 and 1950, and only later in life turned to electric equipment to produce more refined carvings. [5]
Schaaf (2003) dated his fetish necklaces:
“By 1926, he was making fetish necklaces.”
Schaaf (2003), p. 137 AS OF 2003 [7]
Writing in 1993, Tryk dated the new form:
“Leekya Deyuse in the 1940s began carving tiny birds and animals in shell, pipestone, turquoise and jet to string on necklaces, and created a whole new art form.”
Tryk (1993), p. 75 AS OF 1993 [6]
In her 2000 encyclopedia, Baxter named one of his traders:
“Deyuse worked for several Indian traders at Zuni, including C.G. Wallace.”
Baxter (2000), p. 44 AS OF 2000 [5]
On who set the carvers' stones, Adair (1944) wrote only:
“Then the trader has one of the silversmiths mount the stone on silver.”
Adair (1944), p. 148 AS OF 1944 [4]
Small animals, birds and fetish necklaces7 passages · 4 books
Pieces the books picture or describe, from a pencil-point bird to a 230-piece necklace.
A 1975 caption on the scale of his work:
“A pencil point scales the size of the tiny bird carved by "Old Man" Leekya, with watchmaker files and cutting tools imported from Switzerland by C. G. Wallace.”
Stacey (1975), p. 49 AS OF 1975 [2]
Another 1975 caption on a Leekya fetish necklace:
“Classic Leekya Desyee 230 piece fetish necklace. A major award winner including first prize at the 1965 Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial”
Stacey (1975), p. 48 AS OF 1975 [2]
Branson (1975) attributed a carved turquoise necklace owned by Navajo leader Chee Dodge to Leekya, describing his approach:
“It was carved by Leekya, famous Zuni Indian carver who used the natural contours of the stones to bring out their beauty.”
Branson (1975), p. 59
Branson (1975, p. 23) illustrated a Leekya bear fetish, with a carved necklace and frog in green Blue Gem turquoise.
In 1996 Schiffer pictured a Leekya frog set in a Navajo bracelet:
“A rare Navajo bracelet with coin silver cuff and simple stamping and file work holding a magnificently carved frog fetish by Zuni artist Leekya Deyuse, made in the 1920s.”
Schiffer (1996), p. 29 AS OF 1996 [3]
Baxter (2000) credited the Zuni snake ring to him and Dan Simplicio:
“However, other Southwestern native peoples did not hold the snake in antipathy for adornment; in the early twentieth century, for example, the Zunis developed a popular snake motif that framed finger rings (done by such artists as Leekya Deyuse and Dan Simplicio).”
Baxter (2000), p. 163 AS OF 2000 [5]
In her 2000 entry on Zuni jewelry, Baxter wrote:
“Leekya Deyuse (1889-1966) and his contemporary, David Tsikewa, were particularly known for their carved jewelry work.”
Baxter (2000), p. 192 AS OF 2000 [5]
The standard, the copies, the family name7 passages · 4 books
How collectors ranked his work, how it was copied, and why the Leekya name now means his family.
The 1975 Turquoise Blue Book on his family's standing:
“The Leekya and Tsikewa families represent the standard of comparison in fetish carvings. Any aspiring carver must grade up to their art and craftsmanship.”
Stacey (1975), p. 48 AS OF 1975 [2]
Writing in 1993, Tryk named the family among Zuni's best-known fetish carvers:
“Some families, such as the Leekya or the Quandelacy family of Zuni, have established national reputations for their standing fetishes and fetish jewelry.”
Tryk (1993), p. 204 AS OF 1993 [6]
Schaaf (2003) described his standing with collectors:
“His name is like “Rembrandt” among serious Indian art collectors.”
Schaaf (2003), p. 137 AS OF 2003 [7]
On attribution, Baxter (2000) cautioned:
“His style was much copied and has also been confused with the work of other members of his family.”
Baxter (2000), p. 44 AS OF 2000 [5]
Tryk (1993) on the copies that followed:
“Unfortunately, Leekya's painstaking artistry was copied by manufacturers in the Far East, who began turning out cheap necklaces by the thousands, thus badly affecting the local market for a time.”
Tryk (1993), p. 76 AS OF 1993 [6]
Baxter (2000) on the family name:
“Leekya’s family honored him by adopting his first name as their last name, and they are well-known artists in their own right.”
Baxter (2000), p. 44 AS OF 2000 [5]
Schaaf (2003), writing of Leonard Martza's pieces in the 1975 Wallace sale, noted:
“Another was a bolo of a Zuni dancer that was mis-identified in the catalog”
Schaaf (2003), p. 233 AS OF 2003 [7]
Who he worked beside3 passages · 2 books
Collaborators, collections, and the silver figures Adair gave to another smith.
Schaaf (2003, p. 136) recorded that Leekya sometimes collaborated with Dan Simplicio, Teddy Weahkee and Luke Billy Yazzie, among others, and listed his work in the Heard Museum, the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos and the C.G. Wallace collection. [7]
Schaaf (2003, p. 257) recorded that the Zuni lapidary Leo Poblano, who lived from about 1905 to 1959, collaborated sometimes with Lambert Homer, Leekya Deyuse and Dan Simplicio. [7]
Adair (1944) gave the tiny half-inch figures to a silversmith, not to the carvers:
“There is one smith in the pueblo, Juan Deleosa, who makes these fetish animal forms of silver. These are small in size, one figure being no more than one-half inch long, and delicately molded.”
Adair (1944), p. 149 AS OF 1944 [4]
Frequently asked questions
What is Leekya Deyuse's hallmark?
He used none. Hougart's hallmark reference has no mark entry for him, and his work is attributed by style. Marks with the Leekya name belong to his children and grandchildren.
When did Leekya Deyuse live?
Baxter (2000) gives 1889 to 1966. [5]
How is a Leekya piece attributed?
By style, and with caution. Baxter (2000) writes that his style was much copied and confused with his family's work, and Rosnek and Stacey write that he "was not above buying fetishes from other carvers and selling them as his own." [5]
Did Leekya work for C. G. Wallace?
Yes. Baxter (2000, p. 44) lists C. G. Wallace among the several Zuni traders he worked for. [5]
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.
Sources
- Branson, Oscar T. Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries. Santa Fe: Treasure Chest Publications, 1975. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1975.
- Stacey, Joseph, ed. Turquoise Blue Book and Indian Jewelry Digest. Arizona Highways Collectors Series. Phoenix: Arizona Highways (Arizona Department of Transportation), 1975. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1975.
- Schiffer, Peter N. Indian Jewelry on the Market. Text and photography by Peter N. Schiffer. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1996.
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. The Civilization of the American Indian Series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1944.
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2000.
- Tryk, Sheila. Santa Fe Indian Market: Showcase of Native American Art. Photography by Mark Nohl; introduction by Allan Houser. Santa Fe, NM: Tierra Publications, in cooperation with SWAIA (Southwestern Association on Indian Affairs), 1993. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1993.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers (1973).
- Rosnek, Carl & Stacey, Joseph. Skystone and Silver: The Collector's Book of Southwest Indian Jewelry (1976).
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022) — Leekya family entries.