Rattle

Unknown

19th century · Wood, polychrome, pebbles · Musical Instruments

This unusual rattle depicts a double-headed eagle. Animals depicted on Northwest Coast rattles were almost always representations of those found in the natural world. The appearance of this rattle suggests contact between the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast and Russian explorers in the nineteenth century who would have carried with them symbols of the Russian imperial double-eagle emblem.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Wood, polychrome, pebbles

Culture

Native American (Tlingit)

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889