Southern Alaska and northern British Columbia
Northwest Coast / Tlingit

Wood, pigment
ca. 1980s CE
Length: 9.25 in, Width: 4.75 in
idiophone – Struck – Indirectly Struck – Rattles

Carved at the bottom of the handle: ‘CYOT’

A hand carved and painted Raven ‘Dance Rattle’ done in detail with a painted and low-relief carved human face above the projected raven head.  This rattle is expertly carved and painted in black, red, and blue.  On the end of the handle is carved “CYOT,” logo for Ivan Otterlifter (Cherokee/adopted Tlingit, 1936-1999).

Ivan Otterlifter was a member of the Cherokee nation who was adopted by the Tlingit and made artwork in the Pacific Northwest tradition.

The Tlingit society considers the Raven to be the central character of creation myths, seen as both trickster and creator.  This transformative raven rattle shows the interaction between beings and the mythologies associated with cultural interpretations of clan relationships.