Rattle

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Title	Rattle
Artist	Artist Unknown (Haida)
Date	19th-20th century
Institution	Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Location	On view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, G259

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Rattle: Gallery Label - Current

In the late 1800s, Northwest Coast peoples observed an elaborate calendar of religious and social obligations. Among wealthy families, these observances required special costumes and ornaments. Women wove or decorated dress clothing and dance costumes, while men carved wooden masks and accoutrements.

This rattle, made in the shape of a bird, was part of a man's ceremonial dress. It represents Raven, who in the mythic past stole the sun from its hiding place and situated it in the heavens, establishing the universe we know today. On the raven's back a tiny human figure confronts a smaller bird, his tongue joined to the creature's beak. This union implies transition and communication between the human and animal worlds. Filled with small pebbles, the rattle helped keep the rhythm of a sacred dance.

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Scale

Medium:

Sculpture | Cedarwood, leather, abalone, haliotis shell, pigment

Size:

Creation Place:

North America, Canada, Northwest Coast region, British Columbia

Culture:

Haida, North America, Canada, Northwest Coast region, British Columbia

Style:

19th-20th century

Physical Description:

Chief's rattle; depicts the raven lengend a raven is shown with a human figure reclining on his back; the man holds a frog's tongue in his mouth in the act of sucking out a person which was believed to be helpful to shamans in their mystical rituals; the

Credit:

Collection Minneapolis Institute of Arts; The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund

Accession Number:

75.55

Artist:

Role:

Added to Site:

February 28, 2009