Rattle

ca. 1850

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Men of the Dog Soldiers and other warrior societies carried stick rattles as part of their dance regalia. This one, ornamented with large white, blue, and black pony beads, is especially elaborate. The dewclaws (vestigial hooves) of an animal, either deer, pronghorn antelope, or buffalo, supply the rattle’s clacking sound, and the metal cones amplify the percussive rhythm. Plains warriors danced using these rattles both before going to war and upon their return to celebrate victory.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Rattle
Date: ca. 1850
Geography: United States, North or South Dakota
Culture: Lakota (Teton Sioux)
Medium: Wood, native-tanned leather, glass beads, dewclaws, metal cones
Dimensions: Length: 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Classification: Miscellaneous
Credit Line: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., Department of Anthropology (E1925-0)
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing