United States (not certain) / Canada (not certain), North America
Accession Date:
28 Aug 1992
Collection Date:
1986
Notes:
PROVENIENCE UNDOCUMENTED. IDENTIFICATION PROVIDED BY HMSG. TURTLE RATTLE HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT ALONG NECK FROM 3 WOODEN SLATS W/ ENDS INSERTED INTO SHELL. NECK IS THEN WRAPPED TIGHTLY W/ SKIN, SEWN W/ SYNTHETIC THREAD. HAS A SKIN LOOP. UNDERSIDE HAS BEEN CUT AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE (FOR REMOVAL OF INNARDS & INSERTION OF RATTLE DEVICES?) & SEWN BACK W/ HIDE. BACK SIDE HAS 2 HANDWRITTEN LABELS "84" AND "84 154/5." UNDERSIDE HAS ANOTHER HANDWRITTEN LABEL "154/5 S.4.73 S.276." CONDITION: DEBRIS FALL OUT WHEN OBJECT IS HANDLED. IROQUOIS ATTRIBUTION IS BY FELICIA PICKERING, MUSEUM SPECIALIST, DEPT. OF ANTHROPOLOGY, NMNH. ACCORDING TO THE HANDBOOK OF N. AM. INDIANS, VOL. 15, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1978, "TURTLE RATTLES ARE USED FOR FEATHER DANCE & BY FALSE FACE SOCIETY. THE TURTLE ALSO PLAYS A MAJOR PART IN HURON & IROQUOIS COSMOLOGY," (PAGES 318-319).
