Just off the coast of British Columbia – Haida Gwaii
Northwest Coast / Haida

Alder wood, pigment
Late 19th century
Length:  9.5 in
Idiophone – Struck – Struck Directly – Clapper

A Haida polychrome wood clapper carved from two hollowed spatulate pieces of alder wood, with black, red, yellow, green, and white pigments.  The two pieces are carved in the form of a human spirit face with different expressions on each side, each having oval eyes, extended nose, and showing teeth.  A frog is on one face at the top of the forehead.  Each piece is thinly sectioned at the handle where they can be pinned and bound together.

Clappers are used chiefly by dancers.  Rapid shaking of the performer’s hand causes the held upper half to repeatedly flex open and shut, producing a clacking sound.   

Rattles and clappers are an important aspect of the ceremonial and shamanic culture of Northwest Coast First Nations. They serve as a key source of percussion along with the drum, the voice, and the whistle. They are also a story-telling device, used to punctuate or intensify a moment, or can be a tool, used to calm or invigorate a dancer.