This beautifully made rattle with its finely carved and blackened handle demonstrates the care and attention that tribal peoples gave to even their most minor quotidian objects. It’s small size may suggest that it might be used in the intimate setting of a divination rather than as a dance instrument.
Provenance: reputedly Gertrude Hance, a missionary who worked with the American Zulu Mission in Natal from about 1870 to 1899
