K'el-hitaga'ngo
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
wood, paint, pebbles
Dimensions
L. 27 × Diam. 11 cm (10 5/8 × 4 5/16 in.)
Classification
Idiophone-Shaken-rattle
Culture
Native American (Tlingit)
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.581
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments *K'el-hitaga'ngo* is a captivating 19th-century shaken from the Tlingit people of Alaska's Northwest Coast. Crafted an unknown artist, this idiophone exemplifies the Tlingit's masterful integration of artistry and ritual function. Measuring 27 cm in length and 11 cm diameter, its compact form belies its cultural weight, serving as a percussive tool in ceremonies where sound invoked spiritual presence. Made from wood, vividly painted, and filled with pebbles, the rattle produces a distinctive rattling ti...