Athabascan Personal Fetish Medican Pouch

ca. 1965 - 1970

24.5" L + 7.25" L" Fringe, Turtle Shell - 1.25" H x 3" L x 2.25" W

Hand Crafted with a Turtle Shell with Red and White in the Center Beads, Red, White and Blue Striped Beads, Carved Oblong Beads, Clear Large Long Bead with Black Speckles in the Center, with Five Turquoise Stone Donut  Beads and Hide Leather

In Very Good Condition

Athabascan (also spelled Athabaskan or Dene) personal fetish/medicine pouches are small traditional containers used by Indigenous Athabascan peoples of Alaska and northern Canada (Subarctic region) to hold sacred or personally significant items associated with protection, luck, healing, spiritual power, or well-being.
These align with broader Native American “medicine bag” or “medicine pouch” traditions found across many Indigenous cultures of North America. A personal medicine pouch (distinct from a shaman’s larger ceremonial bundle) is typically a small, privately kept bag whose contents are highly personal and not meant to be viewed or handled by others. It may contain items such as special stones, herbs or plant medicines, animal parts (claws, teeth, fur, feathers), small carvings or charms (sometimes called fetishes), pollen, bits of cloth, or objects encountered in dreams/visions that symbolize power or connection.