Dew Claw Rattle
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Dewclaws, leather, rawhide, brass, eagle's claw and feathers, deer's tail
Dimensions
L. (ends tied together) ± 73.7cm (29in.); L (outstretched) 147.3 cm (58 in.)
Classification
Idiophone-Shaken-rattle
Culture
Native American (Osage)
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.571
Art Historical Context
This striking *Dew Claw Rattle* the 19th-century Osage Nation exemplifies the ingenuity of Native American craftsmanship in musical instruments. Crafted by an unknown artist, it an idiophone—a shaken rattle—made from dewclaws (the small hooves of deer), leather,hide, brass, an eagle's claw, feathers and a deer's tail. When tied together, it measures about 29 inches (73.7 cm); outstretched, it extends to an impressive 58 inches (.3 cm), suggesting it was designed for dynamic use, perhaps looped around the body or wielded in performance. In Osage culture, such rattles held profound ceremonial s...