SHAMANIC RATTLE - Lot 50

SHAMANIC RATTLE Wood, pigments, straps Tlingit, Northwest Coast, Alaska, second half of the 19th century Length: 31 cm A beautiful blue-colored rattle with a long Oystercatcher crane neck. Features a reclining shaman in communion with an otter. Otters are reputed to be among the most fearsome animals in the Far North. Considered to be reincarnations of human beings, they possess the intelligence and skill of the latter. They were known to kidnap people, but also to cause madness, natural disasters and disease. Only the most daring shamans dared to confront them. The crane, with its quick wit and cry, was often the first animal to give warning of danger. Shamans were associated with the crane in their role as protectors of the community.