Dan Quam

Dan Quam (d. Oct 2021) was a highly regarded Zuni Pueblo fetish carver from Zuni, New Mexico. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the "Zuni Realist" style of fetish carving, along with his brothers Lance Cheama and Wilfred Cheama. This approach emphasized lifelike, dynamic poses with finely detailed features such as incised fur, realistic legs, feet, tails, and expressive faces — moving away from more stylized traditional forms toward greater anatomical accuracy and animation. 

His legacy as the “first Zuni Realist” continues through his detailed, lifelike carvings (mountain lions, wolves, eagles, etc., often in Picasso marble with turquoise eyes), which remain highly collectible.