Hand Rattles
Hand Rattles - Wild-Man of the Woods Costume
The Bak´was performer holds his forearm up to hide his masked face from observers. This particular costume includes carved gloves on hands, lizards down the arm, the Sisiyutł as a belt, frogs on the kneecaps, snakes down the legs. The Bak´was mask to the left completes this costume.
Creator
Xi’xa’niyus, Bob Harris (attributed)
Catalogue Information
Materials
Wood, Red Cedar; Fabric, Cotton; Bullets, Copper; Paint
Accession Number
02.05.012 a&b
Physical Description
Pair of hands for Bak´was costume, made of wood and cloth. Both hands have the same features. The back of the hands features a painted face. There is white cotton fabric nailed to the wrist and palm so it could be worn as a glove. Four fingers and a thumb are loosely nailed to each hand, allowing movement. The baby fingers are carved to resemble ravens, the two centre fingers are carved as eagles and the pointer fingers are carved to resemble wolves. The middle fingers have shot gun casings filled with small objects that make a rattling noise. Above the hands’ back the cloth covering the finger joints is painted green with U forms. There are long thin strips of tin nailed to the palms. Red, white, green, black.