Bone Rattle
Details
- Origin: Mexico
- Date: 19th-20th Century
- Maker: Seri Tribe
- Collection: DHB 99
Description
Small bone with a hole made in the thick end, with four leather strings running through the hole. Each string has a hollowed nut shell on each end. Small strips of paint are on the bone handle.
This bone rattle is likely a variation on traditional Seri rattles that incorporate gourds or cocoons. The Seri people have often used rattles to accompany their traditional tribal dances. Music and dancing are strong within the culture of the community, and is present for many events, such as during puberty feasts for girls.
The Seri historically live in northwestern Mexico, in the harsh Sonoran Desert. The majority of the tribe live in the villages of Punta Cana or coastal El Desemboque. Tiburón Island has also been a part of their homeland for centuries, a sacred site for the Seri people, and is currently an ecological preserve where the Seri have exclusive fishing rights in between the island and the mainland.
Sources
Bowen, Thomas, and Edwin Moser. “Material and Functional Aspects of Seri Instrumental Music.” JSTOR. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1970. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30247586.
McGee, W. J. “The Seri Indians.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Seri Indians. Project Gutenberg, July 9, 2015. https://gutenberg.org/files/49403/49403-h/49403-h.htm.
Torres, Núria López. “An Intimate Look at Mexico’s Indigenous Seri People.” The New York Times – The World Through a Lens. The New York Times, May 16, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/travel/comcaac-seri-people-mexico.html.
