Todd Minter, age 11, of Grand Forks, N.D., for his question:

WHAT IS A FETISH?

A fetish is an object that supposedly has magic powers. Many people worship carved statues, unusual stones, bones and other objects as fetishes. Some poeple carry such fetishes as a rabbit's foot or a "lucky" penny to bring them good luck.

Europeans first learned about fetishism when Portuguese explorers colonized Africa during the late 1400s. Fetishism is the worship of fetishes. Many African tribes had fetishes and treated them with great devotion and respect.

Fetishism is a type of animism, the belief that lifeless things have spirits. Fetish worshippers believe that the spirit protects them from evil and brings good luck. A fetish may become an idol, the image of a god if word of its power spreads beyond the tribe.

Psychiatrists use the term "fetishist" for a person who has abnormal attachments for lifeless objects. Such objects may include locks of hair, shoes or pieces of clothing.