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Raven Rattle
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Rattles featuring ravens with figures on their backs may depict the acts of shamans, whose exceptional abilities allow them to interact with other-than-human beings to control weather, heal illness, or locate animals for the hunt. Such rattles may have started with shamans but secular chiefs often use them during winter ceremonies, implying they are symbols of power.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineRaven Rattle, late 1800s–early 1900s. Native North America, Northwest Coast, British Columbia and Alaska, Haida. Wood, pigment; overall: 31.8 x 9.3 x 11.2 cm (12 1/2 x 3 11/16 x 4 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of W. A. Price, 1921.1577
