Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle)

Native American (Iroquois)

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 684

Small turtle shell rattles are frequently used by Native Americans. However, the shells of large snapping turtles were originally used by Seneca and Iroquois singers during the Great Feather Dance and in healing rituals of the False Face Company. Iroquois mythology maintains that the earth rests on the back of a turtle.

Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)

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Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)
Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)
Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)
Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)
Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)
Kanyáhte’ ká’nowa’ (Snapping turtle shell rattle), Shell, wood, cherry pits?, leather, Native American (Iroquois)

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