Raven Rattle (sasáa)
Haida artist, Raven Rattle (sasáa), Mid-1800s. Painted wood, leather-wrapped handle, and stones; 4 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 3 5/8 in. Denver Art Museum: Native Arts acquisition funds, 1953.387
In Haida cosmology, the raven is a trickster figure whose exploits help to animate the Haida world. Haida raven rattles (sasáa) like the one here are important pieces of chiefly regalia used on ceremonial occasions. The small object in the raven's beak represents the sun. A human figure reclines on the raven's back, its tongue grasped in the beak of a crested bird, which represents the exchange of transformative supernatural power between two beings. A figure with a beak decorates the raven's chest and is possibly meant to represent a sparrow hawk.
- “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017
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