Created by
Unidentified
Date
1920-1930s
Medium
wood , tin and tin alloy
Dimensions
H x W x D: 16 3/4 × 6 7/8 × 1 5/8 in. (42.5 × 17.5 × 4.1 cm)
Description
Hand-made wooden sistrum with a single handle at bottom. The instrument is made from a tree limb that is split into a fork. Attached at the top is a smaller branch joining the forks. In the middle of the fork are two (2) rows of flattened bottle caps created with strung wire. The bottom row of rattles has five (5) caps and the top row of rattles has seven (7) caps. There is some flaking of the bark, and the bottle caps are rusting and have sticky accretions.
Place collected
St. Mary's, Camden County, Georgia, United States, Sea Islands, North and Central America
Classification
Musical Instruments
Type
sistra
Topic
Folk (Music)
Folklife
Music
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey
Object number
2014.312.108
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d8b4899c-4f5e-4b9d-8285-00d36e8c9e49

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page