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

Wood, pigment
ca. 1950s
Length:  11.75 in
Idiophone – Struck – Struck Indirectly – Rattle

A Northwest Coast Haida Rattle, in the form of a sea otter.  The maker’s mark is carved on the bottom end.

According to some West Coast tribe’s mythology, the (sea) otter people are humanitarians who seek to create a better world for all.  Though curious and independent in manner, they are a symbol of loyalty and honesty.  Nevertheless, in northern British Columbia and the Alaska coast, there is a different view.  The river otters (usually called ‘land-otters’) in this region were associated with ghosts and drowning and were regarded by the people with awe and dread.   It was taboo to eat the land-otters in many Pacific Northwest tribes.

This sea otter rattle comes from the Pacific Northwest Haida tribes and their fur was considered very prestigious in early colonial times.  In Native American children’s stories, they are featured as a light-hearted trickster character.  Always mischievous, but not malicious or aggressive.

Reference:  http://www.native-languages.org/legends-otter.htm