Beaded Turtle And Lizard Fetishes

Traditionally, when a child is born in the Lakota Nation, a close female relative would create two beaded amulets.
If the child was a boy, two lizards would be made, and if the child were a girl, two turtles would be made.
These amulets would be constructed of brain tanned leather, and stuffed with various items, including bison hair, white sage, Eagle fluffs, or other esoteric items.
The two amulets were decorated with similar beadwork patterns and trade beads, with a small slit left in the belly of the amulet.
When the baby's umbilical stump fell off, the mother would then place the stump in one of the amulets, and hide that amulet away while the other was left out in the open to attract the attention of the Spirits.
The thought was that the hidden amulet containing the umbilical stump would protect the spirit of the child with the aid of benign spirits as they were growing up, while the one that was left in the open would attract the interest of the less benign spirits, who would then attack that amulet with the intent of harming the child.
Julie has created her own version of the beaded amulets, and is now offering them for sale to you!
These amulets are created using traditional materials such as leather, trade beads, seed beads, and tin cones, and are stuffed with white sage.






This Turtle is made using white goat leather and is stuffed using white sage from the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.
It has been decorated using Cheyenne Pink, Christmas Red, Chalk white, and antique red white heart 11/0 seed beads.
It has been embellished with silver colored cones, and a white goat leather thong.

This little beauty's colors do not come through well in this photo... but rest assured, it is gorgeous in person!
This one was made using smoke colored commercially tanned deer leather, and beaded using black, mouse gray, chalk white, and antique red white heart 11/0 glass seed beads. It is embellished using a split cowrie shell, a leather thong, and silver colored cones.

This turtle is constructed of smoke colored commercial deer leather, stuffed with white sage, and is decorated using 11/0 seed beads in the sacred "Four Directions" colors; black, Christmas red, Sunshine yellow, and chalk white. It was embellished using a leather thong, a split cowrie shell, and brass cones.

Ready to check out?

They are 100% legal to own as no prohibited or controlled items are used. PLEASE DO NOT ASK US TO USE PROHIBITED OR CONTROLLED ITEMS SUCH AS RAPTOR FEATHERS OR PARTS! WE do NOT traffic in raptor feathers or parts.

Come to the Darkside..... we have FRYBREAD!

Welcome to the Darkside Frybread Company official blog/store front!

What exactly IS the Darkside Frybread Company you ask?

The Darkside Frybread Company is the brainchild of Julie Spotted Eagle Horse Martineau.

Julie is known for her frybread making skills, and at the urging of family and friends, she finally started to sell her frybread at local events.

The story goes that while watching her mother cook frybread over an open fire at a Rendezvous in Cantrill, Iowa, (resulting in a darker product than what you get from cooking frybread on a stove top) one day, Julie's daughter Amanda christened the then as yet un-named stand "The Darkside Frybread Company"... and thus a legend was born!

The Darkside Frybread Company is better known for their series of Darkside Frybread t-shirts and apparel, with the line continuing to evolve, including new logos, slogans, and apparel items. They also offer unique one of a kind jewelry, rawhide containers, powwow regalia, Ladies powwow shawls, beaded lizard and turtle fetishes, and various one of a kind beaded items.

Julie often says that she sells more of the Darkside gear than she does frybread!

Want to get your hands on a piece of authentic Darkside Frybread gear?

Watch for Julie and crew at powwows around South Eastern Iowa, and check here as we are working on getting several runs with different logos printed!