A pair of glove shaped rattles, each finger carved in animal shapes , part of a Bak´was or Wild Man of the Woods costume
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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.