The Indian rattles are really very beautiful and are designed with a variety of natural materials such as turtle shell, leather, rawhide, bead work and Native American feathers . Fur, fringe, seeds, rocks, antlers, horns, bones and shells are used to give it that unique Indian style.
What is a Native American rattle?
The rattle/shaker is a percussion instrument that produces a sound when shaken . Often used in Native American ceremonial dances rattles/shakers are made using a number of different materials. Traditional Native American rattles/shakers were made out of dried gourds – the seeds inside provided the sound.
Why do Native Americans use rattles?
Rattles have been used throughout the world to help keep rhythm during tribal dances and ceremonies . Native American rattles date back to historic times. They were the perfect accompaniment to Native American ceremonies, which often included dancing.
What were Native American instruments made out of?
Native American flutes and whistles come in many shapes and sizes and are made from various materials, including wood, bone, cane, clay, and bamboo . The number and position of finger holes, specific design of the mouth hole, and number of pipes involved are all features that differentiate various kinds of flutes.
What were turtle rattles used for?
Many indigenous groups believe that the world was formed upon a turtle’s back. “This symbology and belief is imbued into the turtle shell rattles, which are meant to keep rhythm and thereby interjects powerful symbology and spiritual energy into dances and ceremonies ,” Gillreath-Brown noted.
How do you make a gourd rattle?
Coat the inside of your gourd with varnish. Using a small paintbrush that fits inside the hole in the bottom, cover the inside with varnish, leaving the gourd to sit overnight to dry completely. Put noisemakers inside your gourd . Possible choices include small stones or pebbles, beans, seeds or rice.
What are flutes commonly used for in Native American cultures?
As with a lot of other indigenous music across North America, flutes were used for celebrations, spiritual purposes, community gatherings or powwows , and for simple entertainment. Accompanied by drums and other percussion instruments, flutes became the default melodic instrument of most tribes.
What is the purpose of the mound?
Rectangular, flat-topped mounds were primarily built as a platform for a building such as a temple or residence for a chief. Many later mounds were used to bury important people . Mounds are often believed to have been used to escape flooding.
Is a rattle a percussion instrument?
Rattle, percussion instrument consisting of resonant objects strung together and set in a sliding frame or enclosed in a container such that when it is shaken the parts strike against each other, producing sounds. In many societies, rattles are associated with the supernatural and accompany religious rites.
What is the most popular Native American instrument?
Drums and rattles are the most common instruments used in Native American music. Other percussion instruments include rasps, bells (usually attached to clothing), and clap-sticks. Melodic instruments include flutes, whistles, and stringed instruments.
Is a violin a fiddle?
Western classical players sometimes use “fiddle” as an affectionate term for the violin , that intimate companion and workmate. But in the United States, most often “fiddle” means the violin as used in Irish-Scottish-French traditional music and all the descendant American styles: Appalachian, bluegrass, Cajun, etc.
What instrument was invented in America?
The enchanting history of Ben Franklin’s glass armonica — ‘the first musical instrument ever invented by an American’
What do Native Americans use turtle shells for?
Turtles served as more than tasty treats for many Native American tribes throughout North America. In fact, turtle shells were used as rattles and other musical instruments , said FSU Associate Professor of Anthropology Tanya Peres.
How old are turtle shell rattles in the United States?
In the southeastern United States, turtle shell rattles have been recovered primarily from mortuary contexts dating to the Archaic (8000–1000 BC) , Woodland (1000 BC–AD 800), and late prehistoric Mississippian periods (AD 800–1500) (e.g., [8, 30–35]).
What did the Iroquois use turtle shells for?
The Micmac used snapping turtle shells as containers [15]. The Onondaga Iroquois added the meat to soup or stew to help with throat problems and for newborn infants [17, 18].
How do you dry a gourd rattle?
Take a small piece of newspaper or “junk mail” and loosely wrap it around each gourd . You don’t want to wrap them too tightly, because the key to drying gourds is good air circulation, and a warm, dry place. The newspaper will help keep all of the gourds from rotting if one in the bunch starts to.
